What is Behavior?

1. What is Behavior?

2. Behavior is everything an animal does and how it does it.

3. Ethology is the scientific study of how animals behave. The foundations of behavioral ecology were established by: • von Frisch • Lorenz • Tinbergen

4. Behavioral ecologists distinguish between proximate and ultimate causes of behavior. Proximate – focuses on environmental stimuli that trigger behavior; the “how” questions. Ultimate – addresses the evolutionary significance of a behavior; the “why” questions (Why did natural selection favor this behavior?)

5. Classic Demonstration of Innate Behavior

6. Fixed Action Pattern (FAP): A sequence of unlearned behavioral acts that is essen- tially unchangeable and, once initiated usually carried to completion. This is triggered by an external sensory stimu- lus known as a sign stimulus.

7. Niko Tinbergen’s Research

8. Geese Imprinting

9. Imprinting – a type of behavior • that includes both learning • and innate components and • is generally irreversible. • has a sensitive period

10. Imprinting: Konrad Lorenz with imprinted geese

11. Figure 51.6 • Conservation biologists have taken advantage of imprinting • In programs to save the whooping crane from extinction

12. Many behaviors have a strong genetic component.

13. Kinesis Taxis

14. Taxis – a more or less automatic oriented movement toward or away from a stimulus Ex: phototaxis in insects towards or away from light Ex: trout facing the current Kinesis – an increase or decrease in activity when stimulus intensity increases Ex: more movement by insects in moist soils

15. Figure 51.8 Migration • Many features of migratory behavior in birds have been found to be genetically programmed

16. Figure 51.8 • Many features of migratory behavior in birds have been found to be genetically programmed EnvironmentalCues: sun, stars, earth’s magnetic field, landmarks

17. Signals and Communication • Nocturnal animals use auditory and chemical signals • Diurnal animals use visual and auditory signals

18. Signal: stimulus that causes a change in behavior; basis of animal communication Pheromones– chemicalsemitted by members of one species that affect other members of the species (eg. Queen bee, fruit fly, fish, termites, trees, humans) Visual signals – eg. Warning flash of white of a mockingbird's wing Tactile(touch) – eg. Male fruit fly taps female fly Auditory signals – screech of blue jay or song of warbler Courtship behavior of fruit flies

19. Staking Out Territory With Chemical Markers

20. Honeybee Dance Language (von Frisch) Used to inform other bees about distance and direction of travel to food sources

21. Circadian Rhythm: internal biological clock The circadian clock in the hamster brain signals a change in coat color according to season by releasing the hormone melatonin. The Suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) region is located in the hypothalamus of the brain. The SCN sends signals throughout the body in response to dark and light. Plants can have two internal clocks: one sensitive to light and the other sensitive to temperature More on Clock Genes: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/inheritance/clockgenes/

22. Genetic Influences on Mating • Seen with prairie voles • Male prairie voles help to care for the young which is unusual since few mammals are monogamous

23. Environment, along with genetic makeup, influences the development of behaviors Ex: The diet of the larvae of Drosophila influences mate choice later in life

24. EXPERIMENT Baja males Sonoran males RESULTS 100 (a) Proportion of matings by Sonoran females 75 (b) 50 25 Organ pipe cactus Agria cactus Artificial 0 Culture medium The difference in mate selection shown by females that developed on different diets indicates that mate choice by females of Sonoran populations of D. mojavensis is strongly influenced by the dietary environment in which larvae develop. Figure 51.12

25. Learning • What is the difference between instinctive behavior and learned behavior?

26. Habituation • Loss of responsiveness to stimuli that convey little information • ex: you continually drive over the speed limit on the freeway and never get a ticket; therefore there is no reason to change your driving habits.

27. Birds use spatial maps to relocate nut caches Spatial Learning Cognitive Map: internalrepresentation of spatial relationship among objects in an animal’s surroundings

28. Tinbergen’s experiments on the digger wasp’s nest-locating behavior – the wasps use landmarks to keep track of their nests

29. Other ways in which behavior is influenced: • Associative Learning • Classical Conditioning

31. Operant Conditioning(Trial and Error Learning)

32. Two Kinds of Bird-Song Development: The Songs of Most Bird Species Are at Least Partly Learned

33. Cognitive Ethology– young chimps learning to crack oil palm nuts

34. “Fishing” by a Chimpanzee

35. Female warblers prefer males with large song repertoires

36. Behavioral traits can evolve by natural selection.

37. Feeding by Young Bluegill Sunfish Supporting Optimal Foraging Theory

38. Mating Behavior • Promiscuous • Monogamous • Polygamous • Polyandrous – single female with several males • Polygynous – single male with several females

39. (a) Since monogamous species, such as these trumpeter swans, are often monomorphic, males and females are difficult to distinguish using external characteristics only. Figure 51.25a • In monogamous relationships • One male mates with one female

40. Red – Handed Tamarin Tamarins -the only non-human primates that exhibit polyandry.

43. Sexual Selection – a form of natural selection in which differences in reproductive success among individuals are a consequence of differences in mating success; proposed by Charles Darwin

46. Phaloropes

47. Peahen Peacock Female Cardinal Male Cardinal

49. Golden Silk Spiders in Costa Rica

50. Territoriality: Mountain Goats and Stallions