Behavioral Ecology Lecture Notes

These flashcards cover key concepts from the Behavioral Ecology lecture notes, including definitions, examples, and distinctions between related terms.

What is the study of animal behavior called?

The scientific study of behavior in animals.

What does proximate causation focus on in behavioral ecology?

How a behavior occurs and the mechanisms behind it.

What is ultimate causation concerned with?

The evolutionary reasons for a behavior and its advantages in terms of fitness and reproductive success.

What is an example of an innate behavior?

The natural ability to create webs seen in certain arachnids.

What are kinesis and taxis in animal movement?

Non-directional response versus directional movement toward or away from a stimulus.

What is cognitive map in terms of learned behavior?

An internal representation of spatial relationships among objects in an environment.

What is imprinting in animal behavior?

A learning process that occurs during a sensitive period, typically in young animals towards significant figures.

What is agonistic behavior?

Aggressive actions related to competition for dominance, leadership, or mates.

What does Hamilton's Rule state about altruism?

Natural selection supports selfless acts when the recipient's benefits times the relatedness coefficient exceeds the altruist's cost.

Define inclusive fitness in behavioral ecology.

The overall reproductive success an individual achieves through its own offspring and by assisting relatives.

What is the difference between adaptation and acclimation?

Genetic changes in populations versus an individual's adjustment to environmental changes.

What is hibernation?

A state of lowered physiological activity that some animals enter to survive intense cold.

Give an example of a behavioral response to a cold environment.

Moving to warmer areas during colder seasons.

What is competitive exclusion?

A phenomenon where one species outperforms another in competition, leading to the latter's niche being unoccupied.