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Comparative Animal Behavior COMNSPECIFIC SOCIALITY Reproduction and aggression

Comparative Animal Behavior COMNSPECIFIC SOCIALITY Reproduction and aggression. Neil Greenberg Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Tennessee. Social behavior is based on communication detection of signals from the internal or external sense organs.

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Comparative Animal Behavior COMNSPECIFIC SOCIALITY Reproduction and aggression

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  1. Comparative Animal Behavior COMNSPECIFIC SOCIALITY Reproduction and aggression Neil GreenbergDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Tennessee

  2. Social behavior is based on communicationdetection of signals from the internal or external sense organs DEVELOPMENT (e.g., when in an animal’s life does signal detection (or lack thereof) occur; can it be influenced by experience? Seasons? Hormones?) (e.g., when sense organ is mature … but it might need environmental stimulation to do that!) ECOLOGY (e.g., can signal detection be influenced by the abiotic or biotic context) (e.g., when sense organ is mature … but it might need environmental stimulation to do that!)

  3. Social behavior is based on communicationdetection of signals from the internal or external sense organs EVOLUTION(e.g., what capacities have been transmitted from prior generation(s) and what capacities will be passed on? (ritualization and sensory exploitation – perceptual bias; genes from ancestors, memes from ancestors, caregivers, peers) PHYSIOLOGY (e.g., what is the more-or-less proximate cause within the individual?)(e.g., endocrine condition – sex &/or stress;)

  4. ECOLOGY of AGGRESSION • Predatory aggression • feeding • Anti-predatory aggression • prey defenses • Dominance aggression • Establishes hierarchy • Isolation-induced aggression • Stress-evoked? • Fear-induced aggression • Stress-evoked? • Irritable aggression • Stress-evoked? • Territorial aggression • Protect space (or time?) • Parental aggression • Protects juveniles • Parent-offspring Aggression • Controls juveniles • Sexual aggression • Controls females • Instrumental aggression • Learned / past reinforcement • Xenophobic aggression • Fear of strangers • Moralistic Aggresion • Enforces social norms

  5. PHYSOLOGY of AGGRESSION • Nervous system • Stimulates hormone secretion • Cells “neuromodulated” to be more-or-less responsive to other influences • Endocrine system • Secretion evoked by nervous system • Affects nervous system when it gets in circulation • Interaction of Neurons and Hormones

  6. EVOLUTION of BEHAVIOR “In animals, almost invariably, a change in behavior is the crucial factor initiating evolutionary innovation” (Ernst Mayr 1988). Behavior creates new selective pressures (Mark Baldwin via Deacon 1998)

  7. The evolution of communicative signalsRITUALIZATION The response of signals to “selection pressure” to become more precise, less ambiguous . . . Any behavioral pattern is a candidate for ritualization if it can communicate information by any modality (sound, sight, chemosensory …) Fragments of motor patterns or autonomic nervous system functions Begins with the “multitasking” of any detectable function that can communicate information about the internal state of an animal that might affect its behavior

  8. The evolution of communicative signalsRITUALIZATION MOTOR PATTERNS (“somatic”) • Intention movement of (e.g.) body, limbs, ears, tail • Ambivalent Posture or movement . . . raising or lowering head (e.g., dominance) AUTONOMIC REFLEXES • Alimentary: Increase or decrease in salivation. Sphincter control, urination, defecation. (e.g., territorial marking) • Circulatory: Pallor, flushing, vasodilation of sex organs. Fainting.(e.g., skin patches) • Respiratory: Changes in respiratory rate or amplitude. Gasping, sighing, panting. (e.g., inflation displays, hissing, speech (?) • Thermoregulatory: Sweating, pilomotor responses. (e.g., hair or feather erection, scent signals) Electrodermal response • Lacrimatory: weeping.

  9. The Peacock’s Tail • raised by feather pilomotor muscles • an ancient autonomic thermoregulatory mechanism • Ordinarily hidden • displayed when aroused

  10. The Lizard’s Flag • Effected by the hyoid apparatus • An ancient mechanism activated by stress • Ordinarily hidden • displayed when aroused

  11. The Lizard’s COURTSHIP a hypothetical scenario • Continuing seasonal and experiential influences on stress and sex hormones • Males “emerge” & engage in territorial aggression • Male dominance relationship established • Females emerge and are courted by territorial male • First female response is wary but becomes more tolerant

  12. The Lizard’s COURTSHIP a hypothetical scenario • Continuing seasonal and experiential influences on stress and sex hormones • Environmental change effects change • Behaviors of male and female become elements in each others environment

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