Ch: 55 Behavioral Ecology

What two factors usually interact to produce behavior?

Genes and the environment.

What are innate behaviors?

Genetically programmed behaviors that are often triggered by a specific stimulus called a releaser.

What is learning?

A change in behavior based on previous experience.

What are four major types of learning?

Habituation, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and cognitive learning.

What is imprinting?

A form of learning in young animals that establishes strong behavioral patterns and combines innate and learned components.

What are three simple forms of local movement in animals?

Kinesis, taxis, and memory of landmarks.

What is migration?

A long-distance, seasonal movement related to feeding, breeding, or avoiding unfavorable conditions.

What are the three main mechanisms animals use during migration?

Piloting, orientation, and navigation.

What is piloting in animal movement?

Movement from one landmark to another.

What is orientation?

Movement in a fixed compass direction.

What is navigation?

The ability to set, follow, and adjust a compass direction to reach a specific destination.

What is optimality theory in foraging behavior?

The idea that animals forage in ways that maximize energy gain while minimizing costs.

Besides energy gain, what factor strongly influences foraging behavior?

Risk of predation.

What is a territory?

A fixed area that is actively defended against others of the same species.

How is territory size determined?

By balancing the costs and benefits of defending the territory.

What is communication in behavioral biology?

The transmission of information between individuals through behavior.

How is chemical communication commonly used in animals?

To mark territories.

What are auditory and visual signals commonly used for?

Attracting mates.

What is a well-known example of tactile communication?

The honeybee waggle dance.

What is a major defensive benefit of group living?

Reduced predation risk through vigilance and the many-eyes effect.

What is the geometry of the selfish herd?

Individuals position themselves to minimize personal risk of predation.

What are other benefits of living in groups?

Improved foraging, breeding, rearing of young, physiological efficiency, and travel.

What is altruism?

Behavior that benefits another individual at a cost to oneself.

What is group selection?

The hypothesis that altruism evolved because it benefits the group.

What is kin selection?

Altruistic behavior that benefits close relatives and increases shared genetic success.

What is eusociality?

A social system characterized by cooperative care of young and reproductive division of labor.

Can altruism occur among non-relatives?

Yes, especially among individuals that live together for extended periods.

What are the four main animal mating systems?

Promiscuity, monogamy, polygyny, and polyandry.

What is polygyny?

A mating system in which one male mates with multiple females.

What is polyandry?

A mating system in which one female mates with multiple males.

What are three ways polygyny can occur?

Male dominance over resources, defense of female groups, or male display in leks.

What is a lek?

A communal display area where males gather to court females.

What factor strongly influences differences in body size between males and females?

The species’ mating system.