Ch. 43 Animal Behavior and Behavioral Ecology

Behavioral ecology

explores the underlying evolutionary and ecological basis of behaviors, focusing on selective pressures of the environment that shape behavior

Innate behaviors

instinctive and carried out regardless of an animal’s earlier experience

• involves the influence of genes

• performed spontaneously

• nature

Learned behavior

depends on the individuals experience

• nurture

Displays

species-specific patterns of behavior that tend to follow the same sequence of actions whenever they’re performed

• similar between individuals (stereotyped) even if isolated

Fixed action patterns (FAPs)

a sequence of behaviors that once triggered, is followed through to completion

Key stimulus

initiates the behavior of a fixed action pattern

Supernormal stimulus

an exaggerated stimulus that elicits a response more strongly than the normal stimulus

• goose egg + soccer ball experiment

Feature detectors

specialized sensory detectors/receptors or groups of sensory receptors that respond to important signals in the environment

Learning

experience leads to changes in behavior

Nonassociative learning

learning that occurs in the absence of any particular outcome, such as a reward or punishment

Habituation

the reduction or elimination of a behavioral response to a repeatedly presented stimulus

• type of nonassociative learning

Sensitization

enhancement of a response to a stimulus that is achieved by presenting a prior strong or novel stimulus

• initial stimulus makes the animal more alert + responsive to the next

• type of nonassociative learning

Associative learning

occurs when an animal learns to link (associate) two events

• Pavlov experiment (ringing bell = food, results in salivating)

• also called conditioning

Operant conditioning

an association is made between a behavior and a response

• if behavior is rewarded, it becomes more likely

• if behavior is punished, the response becomes less likely

Classical conditioning

an association is made between a stimulus and a behavior

Imitation

one individual copies another

Filial imprinting

newborn offspring rapidly learn to treat any animal they see shortly after birth as their mother

Kinesis

random, undirected movements

Taxes

movements in a specific direction in response to a stimulus

Map information

information that tells you where you are with respect to your destination

Circadian clock

regulates many daily rythyms in animals related to feeding, sleeping, hormone production, and core body temp

Photoperiod

day length

Communication

the transfer of info between two individuals

Sender/Receiver

supplies a signal that elicits a response from the receiver

Ritualization

involves:

• increasing the conspicuousness of the behavior

• reducing the amount of variation in the behavior so it can be recognized

• increasing the separation of the behavior from its original function

Advertisement displays

behaviors by which individuals draw attention to their status

Altruistic

acts of self-sacrifice that helps another

Group selection

selection caused by the differential success of groups rather than individuals

Evolutionary stable strategy

a type of behavior that cannot be readily driven to extinction by an alternative strategy

• altruism

Reciprocal altruism

individuals exchange favors

• evolution of altruism

• you help me, I help you (through recognition)

Kin selection

a form of natural selection that favors the spread of alleles that promote behaviors that help close relatives (kin)

Eusocial

having overlapping generations within a nest

• Hymenoptera