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Animal Behavior

Animal Behavior. All observed behaviors in some way maximize the individual’s reproductive success (fitness). 4 Questions about behavior. Causation? Physiological mechanisms “How” questions are “proximate” Development? Ontogeny (organism’s lifetime) Evolution? Origins and significance

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Animal Behavior

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  1. Animal Behavior All observed behaviors in some way maximize the individual’s reproductive success (fitness)

  2. 4 Questions about behavior • Causation? • Physiological mechanisms • “How” questions are “proximate” • Development? • Ontogeny (organism’s lifetime) • Evolution? • Origins and significance • Function? • Adaptive significance • “Why” questions are “ultimate” • Phylogeny (historical)

  3. What is behavior? • What an animal does and how it does it

  4. Proximate and Ultimate Causes

  5. How does behavior happen? • Behavior results from both genetic (nature) and environmental (nurture) influences. • Phenotypic behaviors exist that often depend on environmental cues • Some behaviors are strictly “nature”. • Environmental factors can include: • Chemical environments in cells • Hormone and physical conditions • Interactions with other organisms

  6. Innate Behaviors • All behaviors, including innate behaviors, require a environment to be expressed. • Innate behaviors are those that appear the same among individuals no matter the environment (developmentally fixed). • Ultimate explanation is that automatic performance of these behaviors maximized fitness so that other variations were lost

  7. Ethology and Innate Behaviors • Ethology-studying behaviors in the natural environment • Lozenz • Tinbergen • Von Frisch • Fixed action patterns • Goose behavior • Imprinting

  8. Fixed Action Pattern • Triggered by a external sign stimulus • Goes to completion even in the presence of other stimuli • Can sometimes happen in the absence of stimuli • Tinbergen’s Stickleback Fish • Yawning • Supernormal Stimulus • Volleyball • Cuckoo

  9. Learned Bahaviors • Based upon gene created neural systems that are receptive to learning • Change in behavior is a result of experience • Frog flexible learning • Wasps and sand dunes • Bird Songs • Hearing songs in youth is important • Will any song do? Freebird?

  10. Cost/Benefit in Foraging • Beautiful Mind and Dating

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