introduction syllabus calendar behavior analysis

1. NEUROBIOLOGY – BIOL 475 • introduction • syllabus • calendar • behavior analysis

2. $ 750 K 6 PhDs Roberts Andres

3. PhD (1990) Toronto Research Scientist (1997) MPI Tübingen Postdoc (1994) Uni. Würzburg

4. SPACED TRAINING ~ study every night MEMORY MASSED TRAINING ~ cramming LEARNING TIME STUDY HABITS

5. INTRODUCTION • nervous system and control of behavior

6. INTRODUCTION • nervous system and control of behavior • what is behavior ? • what organisms do it ? • what is needed for behavior to occur ? • why bother studying behavior at all ? “all of neurobiology is only interesting in the context of behavior” a famous guy whose name i forget

7. INTRODUCTION • nervous system and control of behavior • integrated multidisciplinary science • ethology • psychology • anatomy • genetics • biochemistry • molecular biology • cellular physiology • developmental biology

8. INTRODUCTION • nervous system and control of behavior • integrated multidisciplinary science • building blocks of behavior

9. GENES MESSAGES PEPTIDES PROTEINS PROTEIN COMPLEXES ORGANELLES NEURONS ASSEMBLIES STRUCTURES CIRCUITS NERVOUS SYSTEM WHOLE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR EXPERIENCE ENVIRONMENT INFORMATION FLOW vertical integration PLASTICITY

10. GENES MESSAGES PEPTIDES PROTEINS PROTEIN COMPLEXES ORGANELLES NEURONS ASSEMBLIES STRUCTURES CIRCUITS NERVOUS SYSTEM WHOLE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR EXPERIENCE ENVIRONMENT INFORMATION FLOW vertical integration PLASTICITY

11. MEASURING BEHAVIOR • multiple approaches always best, if possible • natural setting: • evolution • “ultimate” questions • why does behavior happen ? • laboratory setting: • mechanism (phenotypes ?) • “proximate” questions • how does behavior happen ?

12. MEASURING BEHAVIOR • setting determined by question • “good” experiments possible in both • natural setting: • observe in ecologically relevant context • difficult to control, especially experience • laboratory setting: • difficulties in relating to natural behavior • relatively more easily controlled

13. #01: BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS • chapter 1: neurons as the building blocks of behavior • measuring behavior • in a natural setting • in a laboratory setting • chapter 1: neurons as the building blocks of behavior • measuring behavior • in a natural setting • in a laboratory setting

14. NATURAL SETTING • a bit of history... • Aristotle: “honeybee dance” • Darwin: behavior character of animals • Lorenz, Tinbergen & von Frisch: Nobel • ethology (Greek) ethos = “manner” • meticulous & thorough observation • clever experimental rigor

15. NATURAL SETTING • Lorenz & Tinbergen

16. NATURAL SETTING • Lorenz & Tinbergen • grey-lag goose egg rolling behavior • stereotypic / “robot-like” behavior • removed egg, behavior persisted • fixed-action-pattern (FAP): • innate • stereotypic behavior sequence • completion without feedback • triggered by “egg-like” sign stimulus (SS) • response filtered by innate releasing mechanism (IRM) • “egg-ness” of SS activating IRM called releasers

17. NATURAL SETTING • FAP:  fiddler crab courtship behavior • beckoning behavior attractss • species-specific waving • strong natural selection on behavior ? • sexually dimorphic • distinguishes & • interlocking releasers: •  behavior SS for  • response SS for further behavior • often typical of courtship in nature

18. NATURAL SETTING • Tinbergen - digger wasp navigation • feed immobilized bees to larvae • use of landmarks for navigation • pine cone markers • manipulated • went to sham nest

19. NATURAL SETTING • Tinbergen - digger wasp navigation • feed immobilized bees to larvae • use of landmarks for navigation • experimented with dummy stimuli • components of attack on bees • olfactory or visual • wasp tracked dead bee (odor) • bee-like object (visual) • releasing value of stimulus • wasp stung only bees with both

20. p.8 fig.1.3 NATURAL SETTING • Tinbergen, herring gulls • adults regurgitate to feed young • triggered by young pecking at beak • stimulus releasing value • ability of stimulus to elicit species-typical behavior • dummy stimuli  releasers ? • spot color • spot prominence • bill color • moving pencil

21. p.8 fig.1.3 NATURAL SETTING • Tinbergen, sticklebacks • territorial  has red stripe on belly • stimulus releasing value • ability of stimulus to elicit species-typical FAPs • what elicits aggression in 2nd ? • shape ? • red stripe ? • position of stripe ? • ventral attack • dorsal capitulation

22. p.8 fig.1.3 NATURAL SETTING • Tinbergen, escape response of chicks • stimulus releasing value • ability of stimulus to elicit species-typical FAPs • dummy stimuli  releasers ? • moved overhead shadow stimuli in 2 directions • goose shape  no response • hawk shape  escape response • same stimulus, direction only

23. ETHOGRAM

24. ETHOGRAM: BEHAVIORAL “UNITS” SEARCH: Movement of wasp in response to its environment apart from direct interaction with host. Consists of walking, running, antennae-waving or touching surroundings. Usually leads to host location by random processes or directed ones. MOVE AWAY: Any movement by the wasp away from the host after the host has been contacted. Consists of walking or running, moving away as a defensive behavior, being pushed away or thrown off by host. BITE: Wasp grabs host with its mandibles and successfully pierces the host integument preparatory to stinging.

25. ETHOGRAM: BEHAVIORAL “UNITS” SEARCH: Movement of wasp in response to its environment apart from direct interaction with host. Consists of walking, running, antennae-waving or touching surroundings. Usually leads to host location by random processes or directed ones. MOVE AWAY: Any movement by the wasp away from the host after the host has been contacted. Consists of walking or running, moving away as a defensive behavior, being pushed away or thrown off by host. BITE: Wasp grabs host with its mandibles and successfully pierces the host integument preparatory to stinging. ANTENNAL TIP: Touching host with the antennae, one time or several times in a row, uninterrupted by another behavior. ANTENNAL SIDE: Same as antennal tip except the sides of the antennae are used for touching. HEAD/MOUTH: Moving head or mouth close to host and touching without biting. CLIMB ON: Climbing up on host larva in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation. STING: Curling of abdomen around host and inserting sting into host. TURN: Change in body direction of wasp by at least 90 degrees in response to host movement. PAUSE: A momentary cessation of all obvious behavior except for antennal waving. ATTEMPTED BITE: Wasp attempts to grab larvae with its mandibles, but fails to do so. ATTEMPTED STING: An attempt at stinging but it does not penetrate host integument, or host fails to become paralyzed. GROOM: Self-grooming by the wasp. CATATONIC: The state after the wasp has attempted to or has stung the host. The wasp continues to hold on with its mandibles, but ceases all other movement. This state continues until the host's movements have slowed to almost complete cessation, or until after several seconds of no change in the host's movement, when the wasp begins to move again. CHEW:Mandibles embedded in a paralyzed host,wasp appears to be extracting fluids from the host. There is little movement except for rhythmic movement of the head and mandibles, with an occasional pumping motion of the abdomen. PULL: When a wasp grabs the host larvae with its mandibles and pulls (or pushes) it on the substrate. RUB: Wasp rubs host larva with the tip of her abdomen. REST: Wasp tilts head down against substratum and ceases all movement. This lasts for at least 30 seconds.

26. ETHOGRAM: TRANSITION PROBABILITY

27. ETHOGRAM

28. ETHOGRAM

29. ETHOGRAM