Animal behaviour
—---- Animal behavior
What are NIkos four questions about animal behavior?
What stimulus, what physiological mechanisms?
How does experience influence behavior?
How does behaviour affect survival & reproduction?
What is a behavior’s evolutionary history?
What is the difference between simple and complex behaviors?
Simple behaviors: caused by a relatively simple sign stimulus, unchangeable actions triggered by straightforward stimuli that typically proceed to completion once initiated.
What are fixed action patterns (three spined stickleback)
One thing happens after another in a logical order
Male fish make a cave, then the females enter the cave they their eggs and the males fertilize their eggs and protect the youth while they grow
How is migration an example of animal behavior
marked by regular, often seasonal, movements driven by environmental cues to access resources, breeding grounds, or escape unfavorable conditions
What is courtship?
complex sequences of behavior that communicate critical information between courting males and females.
On individual produces a signal and the other receives it
What are the 3 most common forms of stimulus response behavior signaling between animals
1. Visual and olfactory communication involves the use of visual cues and scents to convey information.
2. Tactile communication refers to the exchange of information through physical touch.
3. Auditory communication entails the transmission of messages through sounds or vocalizations.
Animals adapt their forms of communication based on their environment
How do many mammals and insects communicate?
Through pheromones for short to long range communication
What are pheromones? And what species uses them?
secreted substances that bind to a specific receptors in the receiving individual and trigger a specific response.
Mammals insects
How does turbidity impact signal transmission for mating?
-Turbidity, or cloudiness, in water alters the spectrum of colors that can effectively transmit through it, impacting signal transmission.
How do abiotic noises impact communication in the water?
rain or moving water jamming some of the frequency spectrum through which they communicate.
What is associative learning? What is an example of this in nature (hint butterflies)
For us to link cause and effect
Blue jays learned that monarch butterflies are toxic and avoid them
Cause toxicity of the butterfly and the effect is avoiding the species all together
What is imprinting?
A deep bond is built between two animals, usually a newborn and a parent. This imprinting is critical for the young animal’s survival
Imprints on the first living thing it sees and it is irreversible
What is sexual imprinting?
- young animals learn the characteristics of potential mates, focusing on species-specific traits rather than individual characteristics, often guided by parental role models.
How does the environment affect an animal's intelligence?
an animal is as smart as it has to be and usually no smarter.
What is associative learning?
Ability to link cause and effect
a mental web of connections, where experiences are linked together like pieces of a puzzle, shaping future behaviors through the interconnection of stimuli and responses.
What is foraging behavior, and why do scientists analyze it?
Foraging behavior involves searching, obtaining, and consuming food; scientists study it to understand its impact on individual fitness.
. What are optimality models, and how do they help scientists understand foraging behavior?
Optimality models predict optimal foraging strategies based on factors like energy gain curve and travel time between food patches, aiding scientists in understanding foraging behavior.
How does the energy gain curve influence the optimal time for individuals to leave a food patch during foraging?
The energy gain curve shows diminishing returns in food patches, determining the optimal time for individuals to leave based on the maximum rate of energy gain per unit time invested.
What are the two main components of sexual selection?
Sex and mate choice
Females that are more choosy than others have a higher reproductive success then a female that simply accepts a mate a random
What are alternative behaviors characterized by?
- where there's a premium on traits like size, ornamentation, and aggression for mating success
Examples of Alternative Behaviors
- Sneak Copulations: Subordinate males attempt to mate without being detected by dominant males, often facing retribution.
- Genetic Polymorphism: Some species exhibit a genetic variation in reproductive behaviors among males.
- Parental Males: Large, brightly colored males that build nests, court females, and raise offspring.
- Cuckolded Males: Males that invest in sperm production and employ sneaky tactics to fertilize eggs, either by sneaking into nests or mimicking females.
Development of Cuckolder Males Note the progression from early investment in sperm production to adopting female-like appearances to increase reproductive success.
What is parental care, and why is there diversity in how much care is provided among different species?
Parental care involves providing resources and protection to offspring; diversity arises due to variations in reproductive strategies and environmental conditions.
What is parental care, and why is there diversity in how much care is provided among different species?
: Parental care involves providing resources and protection to offspring; diversity arises due to variations in reproductive strategies and environmental conditions.
In mammals, which gender typically provides the bulk of parental care, and why?
Females provide most parental care due to internal fertilization and lactation.
Contrast parental care patterns between mammals and fish.
Mammals: Females mainly care for offspring; Fish: Males often provide the bulk of care, especially with external fertilization.
Explain the concept of diminishing returns in parental investment.
Diminishing returns occur as more parental investment yields less offspring success, illustrated by an S-shaped curve in optimality models.
How does optimal parental investment differ for parents and offspring?
Parents optimize to maximize their fitness, considering diminishing returns, while offspring benefit from higher investment for their own success.