Behavioral Ecology Exam 1

P or U? Does the physical structure of green anole lizard feet allow them to climb vertical surfaces?

Proximate: Causation/Mechanistic

P or U? Most species of owls are nocturnal. What specific sensory mechanisms are at play that allow owls to hunt in complete darkness?

Proximate: Causation/Mechanistic

P or U? Female toads use specific traits to choose a male to mate with. Do the male traits female toads prefer actually increase the female's fitness?

Ultimate: Function/Survival Value

P or U? At what point does a calf no longer require milk from its mother?

Proximate: Developmental

P or U? Copperhead snakes must use behavioral mechanisms to maintain their body temperature. Do young copperheads use different behaviors than adults?

Proximate: Developmental

P or U? Golden Bamboo Lemurs primarily eat bamboo shoots, but this plant contains cyanide. What physiological process inside the lemurs allows them to safely consume this plant?

Proximate: Causation/Mechanistic

P or U? When did the ability to safely consume bamboo shoots evolve in the lemur?

Ultimate: Evolutionary/Phylogenetic

P or U? Independent male Ruffs are larger and more colorful than satellite male Ruffs. How do differing testosterone levels between the two males affect their appearance?

Proximate: Causation/Mechanistic

P or U? Fossil record shows that, as climate has changed over the last 50 million years, horses have shown overall changes in body size, teeth, and feet. How have these changes been advantageous?

Ultimate: Function/Survival Value

P or U? Many of the Great Apes, including Chimpanzees and Humans, form social bonds. Is this behavior ancestral or derived for primates, in general?

Ultimate: Evolutionary/Phylogenetic

P or U? Before the Industrial Revolution, the white Peppered Moth morph was more abundant than the black Peppered Moth morph. After the revolution, only the black morph survived. Why did the black color help these moths survive during this time period?

Ultimate: Function/Survival Value

P or U? Newborn human infants instinctively hold their breath to protect the airway when submerged in water and can hold their breath for a short period. Is this trait present in other close relatives of humans?

Ultimate: Evolutionary/Phylogenetic

P or U? Crows remember the faces of humans that they have had bad experiences with and can hold grudges against them for up to years. What part of the crow's brain processes and stores the knowledge of a 'bad' person's face?

Proximate: Causation/Mechanistic

Behavior

The coordinated responses of whole living organisms to internal/external stimuli

Ecology

The study of relationships between organisms and their environment

Intraspecific

Relationships between individuals of the same species

Interspecific

Relationships between different species

Which is not a relationship behavioral ecology studies?

Individuals of different species

Ethology

The study of behavior and its causes

Comparative Psychology

The study of behavior and mental processes of animals in order to understand human behavior

Evolutionary Biology

The study of how organisms change over time

Physiology

The study of how living organisms and their bodies function

Genetics

The study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity

Which factor do you think plays a larger role in an animal's behavior?

It is a combination

Mechanistic/Causation

What specific processes cause the behavior?

Developmental

How does the behavior change over time as the animal develops? What role do genetics and the environment play?

Survival Value/Function

What is the survival value of that behavior? What is its function? How is that behavior adaptive?

Evolution/Phylogenetic

How/why/when did the behavior evolve?

Proximate Questions

Understanding immediate causes of behavior

Ultimate Questions

Understanding the evolutionary forces that have shaped the behavior

Innate Behavior

Mostly genetic/instinctual

Heritable Traits

Passed from parent to offspring via genes

Learned Behavior

Modified over an individual's life based on experiences

Heritability

Measurement of genetic variation of a particular trait within a population

Phenotype

genotype + environment

Why study behavioral ecology?

Learn how to find food, train animals, get rid of pests, or conservation