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behavioral ecology
the study of behavior from an ecological perspective
behavior
The instinctive or learned actions that an organism takes in response to internal and external stimuli.
proximate question
In animal behavior, an inquiry that focuses on the environmental stimuli, if any, that trigger a particular behavioral act, as well as the genetic, physiological, and anatomical mechanisms underlying it.
ultimate question
In animal behavior, an inquiry that focuses on the evolutionary significance of a behavioral act.
ethology
the branch of zoology that studies the behavior of animals in their natural habitats
fixed action pattern
A sequence of behavioral acts that is essentially unchangeable and usually carried to completion once initiated.
imprinting
a learning process in early life whereby species specific patterns of behavior are established
kinesis
a movement that is a response to a stimulus but is not oriented with respect to the source of stimulation
pheromones
odorless chemicals that serve as social signals to members of one's species
habituation
a very simple type of learning that involves a loss of responsiveness to stimuli that convey little or no information
cognitive map
a mental representation of the layout of one's environment.
associative conditioning
the ability of animals to associate one feature of the environment with another
classical conditioning
conditioning that pairs a neutral stimulus with a stimulus that evokes a reflex
operant conditioning
conditioning in which an operant response is brought under stimulus control by virtue of presenting reinforcement contingent upon the occurrence of the operant response
cognitive ethology
the study of cognitive processes in nonhuman animals
optimal foraging theory
The basis for analyzing behavior as a compromise of feeding costs versus feeding benefits, anticipating that animals will attempt to maximize energy obtained as a function of time and/or eneergy spent
promiscuous
a mating relationship wherein each individual mates with multiple other individuals, and forms no exclusive pair bond
monogamous
a mating relationship wherein one male and one female mate only with each other
polygyny
one male with many females
polyandry
one female with many males
agonistic behavior
A type of behavior involving a non-lethal contest of some kind that determines which competitor gains access to some resource, such as food or mates
game theory
The theory that studies decision making in situations in which one player anticipates the reactions of other players to its own actions. Firms are mutually interdendent.
inclusive fitness
The sum of an individuals own reporductive success plus the effects the organism has on the reproductive success of related others.
coefficent of relatedness
equals the probability that if two individuals share a common parent or ancestor, a particular gene present in one individual will also be present in the second individual
Hamilton's rule
Natural selection favors altruism when the benefit to the recipient multiplied by the coefficent of relatedness exceeds the cost of the altruist.
kin selection
A phenomenon of inclusive fitness, used to explain altruistic behavior between related individuals; i.e. an individual's alleles may benefit more from that individual sacrificing itself for its kin than by selfishly saving itself
reciprocal altruism
Altruistic behavior between unrelated individuals, whereby the current altruistic individual benefits in the future when the current beneficiary reciprocates.
social learning
form of learning in which the organism observes and imitates the behavior of others
sociobiology
the branch of biology that conducts comparative studies of the social organization of animals (including human beings) with regard to its evolutionary history
sign stimulus
An external sensory cue that triggers a fixed action power by an animal.
migration
A regular, long-distance change in location.
signal
In animal behavior, transmission of a stimulus from one animal to another.
communication
In animal behavior, a process involving transmission of, reception of, and response to signals.
innate behavior
Animal behavior that is developmentally fixed and under strong genetic control. Innate behavior is exhibited in virtually the same form by all individuals in a population despite internal and external environmental differences during development and throughout their lifetimes.
cross-fostering study
A behavioral study in which the young of one species are placed in the care of adults from another species
twin study
A behavioral study in which researchers compare the behavior of identical twins raised apart compared with that of identical twins raised in the same household.
learning
The modification of behavior based on experiences.
sensitive period
A limited phase in an animal's development when learning of particular behaviors can take place; also called a critical period.
spatial learning
The establishment of a memory that reflects the environment's spatial structure.
associative learning
The acquired ability to associate one environmental feature (such as color) with another (such as danger).
cognition
The process of knowing that involves awareness, reasoning, recollection, and judgement.
problem solving
The cognitive activity of devising a method to proceed from one sate to another in the face of real or apparent obstacles.
culture
A system of information transfer through social learning or teaching that influences the behavior of individuals in a population.
foraging
The seeking and obtaining of food.
optimal foraging model
The basis for analyzing behavior as a compromise between feeding costs and feeding benefits.
polygamous
Referring to a type of relationship in which an individual of one sex mates with several of the other.
mate choice copying
Behavior in which individuals in a population copy the mate choice of others, apparently as a result of social learning.
altruism
Selflessness; behavior that reduces an individual's fitness while increasing the fitness of another individual.
coefficient of relatedness
The fraction of genes that, on average, are shared by two individuals.
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