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Behavioral Biology: Understanding Animal Behavior and Social Interactions

Explore the fascinating field of behavioral biology, including the study of animal behavior, proximate and ultimate causation, learning and imprinting, social behavior, and altruistic behavior. Discover key concepts and evolutionary theories while delving into the complexities of the natural world.

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Behavioral Biology: Understanding Animal Behavior and Social Interactions

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  1. Lecture #22 Date _____ • Chapter 51 ~ Behavioral Biology

  2. Behavior • Ethology~ study of animal behavior • Causation: •proximate~ physiological & genetic mechanisms of behavior •ultimate~ evolutionary significance of behavior • Sign stimulus~ external sensory stimulus • Fixed action pattern (FAP)~ sequence of acts; unchangeable; carried to completion • Ex: 3-spined stickleback (Tinbergen ‘73 Nobel) Supernormal stimulus

  3. Learning? • Maturation~ behavior due to developing physiological changes • Habituation~ loss of responsiveness to stimuli that convey • no information; simple learning • Imprinting~ limited learning within a specific time period •critical period (Lorenz, ‘73 Nobel) • Associative learning: •classical conditioning~ Pavlov’s dogs •operant conditioning (trial and error)~ “Skinner’s box”

  4. Social behavior • Sociobiology~evolutionary theory applied to social behavior (Hamilton) • Agonistic behavior~ contest behavior determining access to resources • Dominance hierarchy~linear “pecking order” • Territoriality~ an area an individual defends excluding others • Mating systems: •promiscuous~ no strong pair bonds •monogamous~ one male/one female •polygamous~ one with many •polygyny~ one male/many females •polyandry~ one female/many males

  5. Altruistic behavior • Inclusive fitness~ total effect an individual has on proliferating its genes by its own offspring and aid to close relatives • Coefficient of relatedness~proportion of genes that are identical because of common ancestors • Kin selection~ aiding related individuals altruistically • Reciprocal altruism~ exchange of aid; humans?

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