Behavioral Ecology

Chapter 8: Behavior

• Key Concepts:

  • Behavioral Ecology: Study of ecological and evolutionary basis of animal behavior.

  • Categories of Behavior: Acquiring food, avoiding predation, mating behavior, maintaining homeostasis.

  • Heritability of Behavior: Essential for evolution to act on behaviors.

• Altruism and Kin Selection:

  • Altruism is adaptive; often occurs among related individuals.

  • Inclusive Fitness: Personal fitness + (r × relative’s fitness), where r = genetic relatedness.

• Sexual Reproduction:

  • Costly and inefficient but common due to genetic variability that thwarts pathogens.

  • Red Queen Hypothesis: Requires continuous evolution to stay competitive; no long-term fitness advantage.

• Mating Systems:

  • Monogamy: 1:1 sex ratio.

  • Polygamy: Unequal ratios; includes polygyny and polyandry, often in resource-limited environments.

  • Sexual Selection: Choosy sex (typically females) selects mates; leads to sexual dimorphism.

• Optimal Foraging Theory (OFT):

  • Organisms maximize energy/cost ratio when foraging.

  • Marginal Value Theorem: Diminishing returns in foraging over time in a patch.

  • Ideal Free Distribution: Individuals distribute based on resource quality and availability.

• Social Behavior:

  • Social groups enhance protection from predators and increase foraging efficiency.

  • Eusociality: High level of social organization seen in some insects (e.g., ants, bees) where sterile castes assist in the colony.

• Cognition and Memory:

  • Memory as an evolutionary adaptation enhances survival by learning from past experiences.

  • Effective study techniques: depth of processing, spaced practice, and retrieval practice for better retention.