final animal behaviour

ichthyology

the study of fish

herpetology

the study of amphibians and reptiles

ornithology

the study of birds

mammalogy

the study of mammals

cetology

the study of whales, dolphins, etc.

anamniotes

lay eggs that are jelly, lack a hard shell, amphibians and fish

amniotes

lay eggs that have a hard shell, reptiles, birds, few mammals

poikilothermic/ectothermic

incapable of regulating their own body temperature (fish, amphibians, reptiles)

homeothermic/endothermic

capable of regulating their own body temperature (birds and mammals)

Poikilothermic

large variations in body temperature

homeothermic

small variations in body temp

ectothermic

body heat modulated by the environment

endothermic

body heat modulated by metabolism

Prototherians mammals

egg laying, more “basal” basic mammals. platypus echnidnas

Metatherians or marsupials mammals

These animals possess a pouch where underdeveloped babies are born and raised. (kangaroo) primarily distributed in australia (1 in north america - possum)

Eutherians or placentals mammals

most common kind of mammal, cows dogs horses humans

altricial animals

born or hatched and are not fully developed, such as mice, rats, cats, dogs, etc.

precocial animals

born almost fully developed and simply grow in size over their maturation

nidifugous

capable of moving immediately upon birth - precocial

nidicolous

incapable of moving immediately upon birth - altricial

proximate analysis

Ernst Mayr focuses on immediate causes to answer questions of mechanism and development

ultimate analysis

Ernst Mayr focuses on evolutionary causes that has shaped a trait over time, answer questions of survival value and evolutionary history

proboscis extension response

when bees smell a flower, it expands its proboscis to retrieve the nectar

Comparative psychology

study of animal behaviour from a psychological/behavioural perspective. physiology, development, social behaviour. expirimental methods, laboratory studies, hypothetico-deductive approach.

behaviourists

psychology equals the study of behaviour (as overt behaviours/actions), and, more specifically, learned/acquired behaviours. covert phenomena (memory, thinking, decision making) is ignored = “private events”

ethology

systematic and direct observation and description of animals in their natural or semi-natural habitat and environment. This field emphasizes innate behaviours and "instincts”

syntax

the question of predictability and structure, rules, and form.

semantics

the question of meaning (context)

pragmatics

the question of social context

prosodics

the question of modulation and expression, behaviour is like music

gene

specific selection of nucleotides on a DNA molecule which acts as the basic unit of heredity

allele

variant form of a gene

single-gene effect

when one gene is associated with one phenotype (a behaviour). coat colour in mice

pleiotropy

when one gene is associated with more than one phenotype. grey squirrel that may be black due to a gene that is related to aggression

polygeny

when many genes are associated with a specific phenotype

population

a member of a species population that has a common gene pool

genome

full set of genes in each cell of an organism

genotype

the genetic constitution of an organism which controls the phenotype

mutations

alterations of the genetic material (gene mutations, chromosomal mutations). important in unicellular and asexual organisms. complex multicellular = either neutral effect or individually detrimental.

genetic recombination

cross over (combination of alleles), does not increase gene/allele frequency, but increases variability

gene flow (migration)

exchange of genes between populations of a species. 1 with different gene frequency to another. fast, immigration. determined by biogeography. stabilizing effect on gene variation

genetic drift/isolating mechanisms

alteration of gene frequency through sampling/random fluctuations and loss of genes. common in small populations. founder effect or bottleneck effect

founder effect

a population becomes reproductively isolated (new insular species)

bottleneck effect

has a radical reduction in population size leading to an over-representation/under of some characteristics. (through hunting and fishing)

reproductive isolating mechanisms

evolutionary process that prevents inbreeding. helping maintain the genetic drift. Specific-mate recognition system (SMRS).

darwinian/direct fitness

the idea that natural selection = reproductive success, which leads to greater number of offspring, which leads to a lifetime of reproductive success

indirect fitness

based on interactions among conspecifics to ensure that shared genes are carried along (helping behaviour - kin selection theory)

inclusive fitness

based on the sum of direct and indirect fitness

symbiosis

inter-species interactions/interdependence. symbiosis + evolution = symbiogenesis. (Mutualism, commensalism, parasitism)

mutualism

inter-specific cooperation. obligate is when there is interdependence, facultative/proto-cooperation has benefits for both, but no interdependence.

commensalism

inter-specific association. typically beneficial for one and neutral for the other

strategies

genetically encoded sets of rules by which an animal’s lifetime behaviours are guided - on the species level

tactics

set of activities (acts, behaviours) that make up a strategy - on an individual level

evolutionary stable strategies (ESS)

strategies that cannot be improved or replaced by another strategy as long as most members of the population use it.

kin selection

when individuals differ in their effects on the survival of kin via their parental care/helping behaviour

sexual selection

based on mate choice, attraction, competition

artificial selection

selective breeding

group selection

before kin selection, pushes the survival of species through voluntary behavioural means (reproductive restraint or prudent predation)

reproductive restraint

under group selection, idea that some populations will cease reproduction depending on resources

prudent presation

under group selection, idea that some populations will only kill what is needed

epistasis

when the allele of one gene (the epistatic gene) prevents the expression of all allelic alternatives of another gene

progressivism fallacy

states that traits are adaptive and necessarily heading towards improvements, or “perfection”.

purposivism fallacy

suggests that evolution has a “goal”

commensal pathway domestication

Zeder, initiated by the animal (dogs, cats. chickens) subordiantes

prey pathway domestication

Zeder, initiated by humans. (sheep, goats, cattle)

directed pathway domestication

Zeder, initiated by humans for the explicit purpose of domestication (selective breeding

Niche construction theory

suggests that some animals simply took advantage of the changes that humans made to the environment which created new ecological niches. This theory can apply to all three of Zeder’s pathways.

neoteny

preventing an animal from developing mature traits. could just be a by-product of domestication.

domestication syndrome

concept that suggests domestication affects gene expression, as opposed to gene structure. probably affects the endocrine and nervous systems = docility, serotonin.

cygenetic theory

suggests that humans and wolves established a hunting partnership which explains why domestication occurred before farming while humans were still hunter-gatherers. explains why over hald of all currently extant dog breeds are specialized in hunting. variant (foraging associating theory)

foraging association theory

suggests that humans and wolves acted as co- scavengers and hunters (mostly omega)

intra-sexual selection

males or females competing with each other

inter-sexual selection

males or females choosing their mates

epigametic sexual characteristics

eg. bright colours, horns. characteristics connected to the phenotype that are investigated by potential mates of the opposite sex (consciously or not). correlated with good health, reproductive capability.

sexual dimorphism

stronger in polygamous species, when males and females do not look alike within a species

monomorphic

do not display sexual dimorphism (prosimians like lemurs, gibbons)

developmental stability theories of biology

where symmetry suggests a phenotypic ability to deal with environmental challenges

sexual imprinting

when individuals end up being attracted to characteristics their opposite sex parent possesses.