Animal Behavior Exam 1

SMSU Dr. Anderson Animal Behavior

How do male Digger Bees locate females?

pheromones

Antennae

Claws/legs

What might CAUSE a specific behavior?

external and internal stimuli

Examples of external stimuli

Food

Predators

Conspecifics

Environment

Conspecifics

same species

Examples of internal stimuli

Hormones

Nervous system changes

Developmental changes

What are the FUNCTIONAL VALUES of behavior?

Mate attraction

Predator deterrence

Food/habitat acquisition

Survive elements

Enhanced reproductive success

Behavior development

how behavior changes over an animal’s lifetime

Behavior evolution

origins of behavior patterns and how they change over generations in a population

Proximate means

the physical mechanisms that allow a behavior to happen

Ultimate means

the evolutionary reason for doing a behavior

Evolution

the change in inherited traits of a population occurring from one generation to the next

What 5 factors result in evolution?

Mutations

Gene flow

Genetic drift 

Non-random mating 

Natural selection

Natural selection

variation among individuals leads to differential reproductive success (unguided and unconscious)

For natural selection to occur within a population there must be:

Heritable variation

Resource competition

Differential reproductive success

Are some organisms perfectly adapted to their environment?

No, environments are always changing

Do organisms evolve adaptations they need?

No, organisms can’t choose to evolve

TRUE OR FALSE: Organisms evolve adaptations they “need”

False, evolution can't identify "needs"

Respond: Natural selection is based on the way an organism has to adapt to its environment

No, natural selection isn’t conscious. They don’t have to adapt, its just that the more adapted you are the more likely you are to pass on your genes.

Population

all members of a single species occupying an area at the same time

Gene

unit of heredity; composed of DNA; Codes for traits; determines phenotypes

Gene pool

all genes within a population

Allele

alternate forms of a gene

Adaptation

heritable trait spread by natural selection

Acclimation

an individual’s response to an altered environment

Under what circumstances would a survival-enhancing attribute be selected against?

Less flashy males will be less obvious to predators but they also have a hard time finding mates.

Natural selection results in

Change in allele frequencies in a gene pool

Improved fitness of the population

Major cause of microevolution

Darwinian puzzles

traits that seemingly reduces fitness, challenging evolutionary theory

Examples of Darwinian puzzles

Death

Altered appearance

Altruism

Menopause

Bright coloration

Infanticide

Behavior is caused by ____ understanding is incomplete without understand both.

BOTH proximate and ultimate

What are the 4 levels of analysis developed by ethologist Niko Tinbergen?

genetic-developmental mechanisms

neuronal-hormonal mechanisms

Evolutionary history

Adaptive value

Which 2 levels of analysis developed by Niko Tinbergen explain ULTIMATE reasons for behaviors?

Evolutionary history and Adaptive value

Which 2 levels of analysis developed by Niko Tinbergen explain PROXIMATE reasons for behaviors?

genetic-developmental mechanisms

neuronal-hormonal mechanisms

Which level of analysis by Niko Terbergen is this: "How does the behavior promote an animal’s ability to survive and reproduce?"

Adaptive Value

Which level of analysis by Niko Terbergen is this: "How does an animal use its sensory and motor abilities to activate and modify its behavioral patterns?"

Neuronal-hormonal mechanisms

Which level of analysis by Niko Terbergen is this: "How does an animal’s behavior change during its growth especially in response to experiences it has while maturing?"

Genetic-developmental

Which level of analysis by Niko Terbergen is this: "How does an animal’s behavior compare with that of other closely related species and what does this tell us about the origins of its behavior and the changes that have occurred during the history of the species?"

Evolutionary history 

Respond to the following: Given that evolutionary questions are “ultimate” ones, they are therefore more important than questions about proximate causes.

No, without the physical ability to do those behaviors there would be no behaviors. You need a reason and the ability to do said behavior.

What are the hypotheses for why birds have dialects?

Genetic difference hypothesis Acoustic stimulus hypothesis Social interaction hypothesis

What is the Genetic difference hypothesis

Genetic differences between populations of species causes dialects

What is the Acoustic stimulus hypothesis

Differences in acoustics environment

What is the Social interaction hypothesis

Social interactions between young birds the tutors

Learning types of birds

Open-ended learners and Age-limited learners

What does it mean to be an Open-ended learner?

Learn/add to repertoires throughout life

Examples of an open-ended learner

Northern mocking bird and Lyre bird

What does it mean to be an age-limited learner?

Acquire song during critical learning period

Song learning stages of age-limited learners

Critical learning period

Silent period

Sub-song period

Song crystallization

Characteristics of the Critical learning period

Essential for normal song

Hearing is key

Early period of information storage

If isolated during CLP songs have: Less complexity, Fewer notes/syllables, Less frequency modulation

Characteristics of the Silent period

Storage of memorized syllables

Separates the listening period from the practicing periods

Characteristics of Sub-song period

Practice! 

Long, soft, unstructured syllables 

Analogous to infant babbling

Develops into plastic song

Plastic song

first attempt at mature song

Characteristics of Song crystallization

Plastic song transformed to final song

Selects and perfects syllables from plastic song

Auditory feedback is essential!

How do birds determine/select which species to copy from? How do they initially recognize the call of adult males of their species?

ZENK gene activated when the right song is heard

ZENK gene

“first-responder” when hearing song of own species 

Syrinx

sound producing organ

Males have ___ vocal centers in the brain than females

larger

How are phylogenies built?

Morphological characters and Molecular characters

How can bird neighbors respond to each other?

Type match

Respond from shared repertoire

Respond from unshared song

Which is the most and least agressive response: Type match;Respond from shared repertoire; Respond from unshared song

Most: type match

Least: unshared song

What benefits do male communication signals have for females?

Large and difficult repertoires signal good genes, strong immune system, and excellent parental care

How can parasites affect the singing ability of males?

It affects their health and therefore their song. Females will stay clear

Impacts of early life nutrition stress?

If young birds don’t get the nutrients they need will leave to a smaller high vocal center (HVC) in the brain and song quality is diminished

Eusocial Societies characteristics

Share common nest site

Cooperative brood care for young

Reproductive division of labor

Many STERILE workers benefit FEW reproductives

Multiple generations in a colony

Offspring contribute labor while parents are still alive

Protect and care for mom’s offspring

Advantages to Eusociality

Construct huge nests

Efficient/widespread foraging

Vigilance/protection against predators

Disadvantages to Eusociality

Vulnerable to disease and “social parasites”

Social parasite

Someone who does no work but reaps the benefits

Parasites passed from person to person

Why is eusociality common in Hymenoptera?

Haplodiploid system

Explain the haplodiploid system

Females come from fertilized eggs / Males come from unfertilized eggs

What is the average genetic relationship between mom and daughter in haplodiploidy?

0.5

What is the average genetic relationship between sisters in haplodiploidy?

At least 0.5 but it could be more (average is 0.75)

Haplodiploid sisters are ___ related to each other than their mothers

closer

Altruism

self-sacrificing behavior 

Group selection

altruism and other social attributes evolve to benefit group as a whole

Why help others if it’s costly to you?

Group selection

How is altruistic behavior beneficial to individuals?

Individuals often help relatives

Indirect fitness

genetic success based on relatives an altruist has helped to reproduce

Inclusive fitness

direct fitness + indirect fitness

Direct fitness

fitness gained from personal reproduction

Kin (indirect) selection

selection arising from the indirect benefits of helping relatives

Coefficient of relatedness (r)

probability an allele in one individual is present in another due to relatedness

How to find the coefficient of relatedness?

R= ½ ^n

For an altruistic trait to be adaptive, the inclusive fitness of altruistic individuals must be ___than it would be with only direct fitness

greater

What is Hamilton's Rule?

An altruistic allele increases in frequency when: the benefit to the recipient is greater than the cost

What are the benefits to groups being social?

Increased vigilance

Dilution effect

Cooperative foraging

Defense of resources

Dilution effect

Larger group = less likely you’re the one that dies

Collective behavior

synchronized movement of individuals following basic interaction rules

Cooperation

when 2+ individuals both benefit from helping each other

Do all members of a group get equal benefits?

No, dominant individuals will get the best benefits, subordinates get pushed around

In group social animals, will they all gain direct fitness? (if not what do they gain?)

No, they gain indirect fitness

Paper wasps often live with a queen that is not related to them. (No kin-directed altruism) Why help? What’s the potential benefit?

Inheritance potential (move up in the world) 

Could acquire well-defended colony of helpers (direct fitness benefit) 

Reciprocity

helpful action repaid later by recipient

Indirect reciprocity

3rd party observers more likely to help other helpers

Recipriocity is not common in the animal kingdom due to ___

“forgetfulness”

Reproductive senescence

reduced or loss of reproduction with age

Grandmother hypothesis:

Older females gain indirect fitness by helping offspring rear young (Explains evolution of menopause Selection favored post

Why is monogamy so important to all altruistic animals? (verts and insects)

Multiple partners = lower relatedness of siblings

How does altruism differ between eusocial animals and those that are not eusocial?

Facultative altruisms vs obligate altruism

Obligate altruism

eusocial worker castes have to be altruistic because they cannot reproduce

Facultative altruism

Non-eusocial retains capacity to reproduce (they have a choice)

If average coefficient of relatedness for a primary helpers to siblings = 0.32, what’s the fitness gain? (keeping in mind that parents typically have 1.8 extra offspring with primary helpers)

rB = 0.32 x 1.8 = 0.58

African Pied Piper Strategies for 1st year males without mates

primary, secondary, delayer