Ethology 2.0

Ethology-”the science of animal behavior”(what an organism does and why do they do it)

Behavioral Ecology (how does the behavior benefit the organisms survival)

Certain behaviors are selected because their advantages outweigh the disadvantages

Classic ethology

• instincts- innate behavior that occurs without learning

• key stimuli-very specific trigger for a very specific behavior

• imprinting- a way to learn the behavior of its own species

• super normal stimuli- stronger stimuli than normal

• displacement activity- when an animal experiences high motivation for two or more conflicting behavior

• redundant action- the motivation to perform a behavior is great but right stimuli is missing

• conditioning- associating a behavior with a selected signal

Behavioral ecology

• Communication (visual signs, acoustic signals, chemical signals, tactile signals)

• Avoiding predators ( camouflage, apostolic coloring, mimicry)

Social systems

• advantages and advantages of living in solitary or pack

  -food supply

  -protection against predators

Sexual strategies

Males

• not much energy required to produce sex cells

• can fertilize many over a short period of time

• high sexual motivation

• do not have to be pick

• quantity

Females

• much energy required to produce eggs

• limited periods of federalization

• some species need to spend a lot of energy carrying the fetuses

• some species guards and feeds offspring

• large investments in offspring

• are picky

• quality

Sexual Dimorphism : different appearances in males and females

high competition for females benefit outer properties

low competition for females favors internal properties instead- sexes look alike

The purpese is to have as many survival offspring as possible

• Monogamy (one male,one female)

• Polygamy multiple partners

• Polygyny (one male several females)

• Polyandry (one female several males)

• Permiscuous (only meet at procreation)