animal behavior: Quiz 2

gene products

proteins, functional RNAs

gene expression

process by which a gene produces its product and the product carries out its function

ontogeny

the process by which an individual changes in the course of its lifetime - that is, grows up and grows old

central dogma of molecular biology

information is transferred from DNA to RNA to protein

DNA

provides a blueprint that codes for RNA

evolutionary genetics

examine how DNA leads to evolutionary change by comparing sequence variation among species or individuals that exhibit different traits

functional genomics

Study of gene functions and interactions. they compare gene or protein expression in people or species that exhibit different traits

mRNA

A type of RNA, synthesized from DNA, that attaches to ribosomes in the cytoplasm and specifies the primary structure of a protein.

transcription (RNA synthesis)

process of using a DNA template to create a strand of RNA

translation (protein synthesis)

process by which the sequence of bases of an mRNA is converted into the sequence of amino acids of a protein

polypeptide

long chain of amino acids that makes proteins

transcriptome

technology analyzing the activity of a few thousand genes at a time in particular tissues, enabling researchers to analyze all of the mRNA being expressed in a given tissue at a given time point

genome

all of an organism's genetic material

forward genetics

identified the genes associaed with a given phenotype

reverse genetics

seeks to determine which phenotypes arise from as a result of a particular genetic sequence

histones

other proteins influence gene expressed by altering the chemical properties of DNA or protein structures upon which DNA is wound

epigenetic modification

Changes in gene expression without altering DNA sequence.

histone modifications

Chemical changes to histones affecting gene expression.

DNA methylation

The addition of methyl groups (—CH3) to bases of DNA after DNA synthesis; may serve as a long-term control of gene expression.

evo-devo approach

developmental mechanisms also have an evolutionary history that can be described as a series of modifications of ancestral patterns and its reconfiguration into a modern attribute

A "tool Kit" for how things are written to develop. How the brain develops is very important. Develops longer = bigger. But in right places

phenotypic plasticity

the ability of an organism to change its phenotype in response to changes in the environment.

polyphenisms

a special type of phenotypic plasticity where discrete phenotypes arise from a single genotype

supergene

a region of DNA containing many linked genes that influence a behavioral phenotype

epigenetics

the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change

Niko Tinbergen

worked on begging behavior in herring gulls, goose perceptual mechanism that is sensitive to visual cues provided by egg shaped objects

ethology

the first discipline dedicated to the study of both proximate and ultimate causes of animal behavior

an instinct

innate behavior defined as a behavior pattern that appears in fully functional form in response to a stimulus, even if they had no prior cues

releaser

stimulus that triggers a specific behavior (neural network responsible for detecting the simple cue)

fixed action potential

innate behaviors following regular pattern (ex. fish defending territory from something with red backside)

innate releasing mechanism

a built in biological process that triggers a specific behavioral response to a stimulus (ex: when a dog sees a cat running away from them, they have an instinctive response to chase the cat)

kenneth Roeder

nocturnal insects must face strong selection pressure to detect bat sounds and avoid them

action potential

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon (is the signal one neuron uses to communicate with another)

what happens when an action potential arrives at the end of an axon

it may cause the release of a neurotransmitter, a chemical signal that diffuses across the narrow gap or synapse

synapse

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

interneurons

neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs (relay signals between them)

command centers

A neural cluster or an integrated set of clusters that has primary responsibility for the control of a particular behavioral activity.

optogenetics

a group of techniques that can be used to study neural mechanisms of behavior in intact animals (uses light)

ultaviolet light (UV)

animals use it to find food, attact mates, or navigate great distances

circadian clock

An internal timing mechanism that is capable of maintaining daily cycles of physiological functions, even when there are no temporal cues from the environment

central pattern generator

neural circuitry that is responsible for generating the rhythmic pattern of a behavior such as walking (well studied in invertebrates)

stimulus filtering

ability of neurons to filter out information and focus on biologically relevant stimuli

endogenous clock hypothesis

animals have a biological clock with a built-in schedule (that acts independently of any cues from the animal's surroundings) to control changing priorities

environmental stimulus hypothesis

animals use feedback from the surrounding environment to change priorities over time

free running cycle

The cycle of activity of an individual that occurs in the absence of environmental cues

circadian rhythm

the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-hour cycle

entrain

resetting and matching a clock to an environmental cycle or changes through the influence of a zeitgeber

zeitgeber

stimulus that resets the circadian rhythm

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

A small brain structure that uses input from the retina to synchronize its own rhythm with the daily cycle of light and dark; the body's way of monitoring the change from day to night.

circadian pacemaker

the "master control" for a person's various circadian cycles, consisting of a group of neurons forming the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus

melatonin

a hormone prduced at night and modulates sleep and circadian rhythms

circannual rhythm

behavioral rhythms linked to the yearly cycle of seasons

Photoperiod

the period of time each day during which an organism receives light; day (24hr) length

Seasonal rhythms are driven by day length

photosensitivity

sensitivity to light

opportunistic breeding

reproduction is triggered by unpredictable environmental cues, such as rainfall or food availability rather than a fixed breeding season

luteinizing hormone

a protein that stimulates production from the pituitary gland, which may cause the testes to produce testosterone

HPG axis

Hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis, the negative feedback loop that regulates sex-hormone production.

- These reproductive hormones, which starts in the hypothalamus with the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone

HPA axis

Interaction between the nervous and endocrine systems to produce the body's response to stress. Long periods of high levels of glucocorticoids can impair immune function, cause sickness

acute stressors

sudden, one time events; can directly and rapidly affect an animals behavior through the release of glucocorticoids

- the predatory hawk + unexpected snowstorms

chronic stressors

sources of stress that occur continuously or repeatedly; sources of continued and often long term activation of the HPA axis

- If severe weather or food limitation become prolonged, chronically elevated glucocorticoids can have negative physiological effects

Intron

sections of mRNA that do not code for proteins

Exon

sections of mRNA which become "expressed" or translated into a protein

- spliced with other exons into a long chain of mature mRNA

domestication syndrome

non-target traits developed in addition to the selected ones

Polymorphism

is a variation in gene sequence that has become established in the population

what can a mutation change?

the functionality of a gene, how much a gene is expressed, where a gene is expressed, when a gene is expressed

krogh's principle

for such a large number of problems there will be some animal of choice, or a few such animals, on which it can be most conveniently studied

interaural level difference

loudness of the sound and difference in sound intentsity between the ears

interaural time difference

difference in time latenct between the ears, difference in time it gets to your right and left ear

infrasound

Sounds with frequencies below the human range of hearing

ultrasound

sound frequencies above human hearing

Ipsilateral

same side (closer to sound)

Contralateral

other side (farther away)

circalunar

syncronized with the moon

diel

24 hr daily rhythm

Infradian

rhythm longet than 24 hrs

ultradian

rhythms shorter than 24 hrs

Circatidal

rhythms sychronized with tides (every 13 hrs)

pineal gland

secretes melatonin

Homeostasis

A tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level

general adaptive syndrome

what happens when you are having a stress response and can't get away from the stressor

-Alarm reaction: stress respond begins

-Resistance: coping w stressor

-Exhaustion: onset of stress pathology; something bad is happening and can lead to death