Behavior Bio Midterm 2

Display

behavior evolved under selective pressures, with the express function of signaling one another

Non-display

If in a flock of birds, one flies, all fly, probably learned

ALL vocalizations are…

Displays evolved from

Displays evolved from non-signal behaviors such as

intention movements, maintenance activities, redirection and displacement activities, pseudomale and psuedofemale behavior (submissive)

Ritualization

the process whereby locomotory movements and acts have been selected and modified to produce signals.

Social Facilitation

increased rate of activity due to the activities of nearby conspecifics.

semantic levels

message

pragmatic levels

meaning

Anthroposemiotics

Communication in humans

zoosemiotic

communication in animals

Habitat

sum total environment around the organism

Biome

large geographical habitats such as desert or forest

microhabitat

immediate vicinity of organism, such as certain part of a pool

habitat use

where animal is

habitat selection

what animals actually uses compared to what is available

niche (animals profession)

sum total of environment, behavior, and physiology

Competitive Exclusion Principle (Hardin)

no two species can occupy same niche at same time

species diversity

the number of different species

allopatry

seperate

sympatry

same area

paratric

adjacent

Character Displacement

divergence in some character in sympatry

polygyny

1 male many females

polyandry

1 female many males

Agonistic

continuum from withdrawal to attack

Personal Space

smallest distance around an animal that it will defend or move away

Harem

is a group of females associated with one dominant male for mating and reproduction.

Autotomy

the self-amputation or reflex separation of a body part—such as a tail, limb, or claw—by an animal, usually as a defensive mechanism to escape a predator or avoid injury

Cannibalism

eating conspecifics

infanticide

killing infants

siblicide

killing sibilings

territory

any defined space that is defended

Home range

everywhere an animal goes

Individual Distance

closest space an animal will allow approach without moving or fighting

Hexagonal Packing

allows for maximum density for colonial nesting spaces

Whelping

giving birth to young animals, especially mammals such as dogs, seals, and sea lions

super territory

larger than needed

rubber disc concept

territory size changes during the season (can become larger or smaller depending on availability of resources)

pheromones

chemicals that at very small levels, travel a long distance

Pecking order

straight-line dominance relationships: alpha, beta, omega -lowest

Hierarchies

webs are not linear, one dominant animal, but several at different levels

Lek systems

males display territories

Symbiosis

organisms living together, describe any kind of co-occurrence, synonym for mutualism

Predation

one population adversely affects the other by direct attack

scavenging

eating something that is dead

murmuration of starlings

birds staying very close together in sky making it hard for predator to understand the flying pattern and catch them

mobbing

a group of birds harass, squawk at a large predator to not be caught by them

competition

each population adversely affected, it occurs when animals use a common resource in short supply

maintenance behavior

everyday activities an animal performs to take care of themselves and survive