Animal behaviours

1. Animal behaviours Unit 2: Area of study 1

2. Criminal Penguins • Write down all the behaviours that you saw in the video • Try to group these behaviours into categories (2mins) Evil penguin is evil.

3. Key knowledge • To understand what behaviour is, and how it aids in survival • To understand and compare the differences between innate and learned behaviour • To distinguish different types of behaviour and determine how they contribute to the survival of an animal

4. Innate vs. Learned behaviour • Behaviours are activities performed in response to a stimulus • Can be classified as innate or learned • Innate behaviours are essentially the same for all members of a species  they are sometimes referred to as instinctual behaviours • Learned behaviours develop or change as a result of experience  this can be a quick or long process depending on the stimulus

5. Rhythmic behaviours • Animals repeat behaviours at regular intervals – rhythmic behaviours • Rhythmic behaviours are regulated by internal and external factors • Biological clock (internal) • Light, seasons (external) • E.g. Feeding, migration, sleeping • Some species sleep during the day, others at night • How could sleeping patterns aid in the survival of a species?

6. Communication behaviours • Communication behaviours occurs in response to a stimulus • Involves a number of components • Stimulus for communication • Sender of signal • Receiver to whom the signal is directed • The kind of signal sent • How the signal is sent • The behaviour of the receiver • The setting of the communication The male bowerbird carefully builds a nest to signal to females that he is ready to mate. Blue components of a nest are most visible to bowerbirds

7. Social behaviours • Social interactions involve two or more individuals • May be cooperative (mating) or competitive (defending territories) • Indicates the organisation of a group and can determine hierarchy This bison is attacked by another bison higher up the social hierarchy. Why is it important to establish a social hierarchy?

8. Learned behaviour • Behaviours that develop or change as a result of experience • Learning by being shown how to do something – driving a car • May involve copying or learning by trial and error – a baby learning that sounds have meaning

9. Conditioning • Learning where an association is made between a stimulus and an outcome • Reinforcement of behaviour at the onset of a stimulus strengthens the association • Can be voluntary or involuntary behaviour • E.g. Pavlov’s dog (involuntary) or Skinner’s rat (voluntary)

10. Habituation • The ability to ‘get used to’ a repeated stimulus • e.g. Living in a noisy area • Habituation allows animals to distinguish between unimportant stimuli and those that are important • What might happen if we didn’t habituate?

11. Observational learning • Learning as the result of observing the behaviours of others • Requires social interaction • Occurs without reinforcement of ongoing behaviour Learning by observation and learning by personal experience: which of the two do you believe leaves a stronger impression on an individual?

12. Imprinting • The formation of a close attachment to something in the environment shortly after hatching (usually the mother duck) • The duckling will follow those they imprint upon and learn from their behaviour • Combination of instinct and observational learning Sometimes imprinting can go wrong. Predict what would happen to a duck that doesn’t imprint on its mother.

13. Infographics can be used to present a lot of complex information quickly and clearly

14. Your task • Split into groups of 3 • Groups will draw behaviours from a box • Go to http://easel.ly/ and create an infographic of your behaviour • Groups will present their infographics and behaviours at the end of the double • Post your completed infographic to the Year 11 Biology wordpress blog following the presentations