Animal Behavior Final

Zoology 4312 with Bernal at Texas Tech University

About this deck

By: Lillian Costandy
Textbook:

Principles of Animal Behavior (Second Edition)
Created: 2010-12-10
Size: 137 flashcards
Views: 84

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Behavior

Any evolved, adaptive action or activity of an
organism that interacts with its environment;
not a simple by-product or side effect of activity

Behavior does not require:

A nervous system
Does not require movement

Anthropomorphism

attribution of uniquely human characteristics and qualities to non-human beings

How to describe behavior

By operation rather than by consequence

Classical Ethology

naturally occurring behaviors
studies a wide range of species
similar actions have different meanings in different species
Umwelt
Emphasis on the role of instinct ("nature")
Fixed Action Pattern
Field Observations and Experiments
Konrad Lorenz
Niko Tinbergen

Fixed Action Pattern

Animal must preform whole sequence and it can't be subdivided

Umwelt

Animals have their own unique sensory world

Konrad Lorenz

behavior programs, "instincts", fixed action patterns in geese

Niko Tinbergen

promoted scientific approach of animal behavior

Comparative Psychology

Look for general laws of behavior
does not describe natural behavior
concentrates on a few model species
laboratory studies
Learning
Ivan Pavlov
Fred Skinner

Commonalities in the Ethological and Comparative Approach

Both approaches are against anthropomorphic explanations
Definition by operation (description) rather than by consequence

John Watson: "Behaviorism"

Controlled Experiments

Tabula Rasa

No need to assume conscious processes or higher cognitive ability: everything can be explained by complex stimulus-response rules.

Evolutionary Psychology

is the name today of the field that studies human behavior, and how it may be
influenced by learned or innate factors

Behavioral Ecology

Study of the ecological and evolutionary basis for animal behavior, and the role of behavior enabling an animal to adapt to its environment

Proximate Factors

Causation (Physiology)
Development

Ultimate Factors

Function
Evolution

Causation

sensory/hormonal/motor

Ontogeny

Genetics and Development

Function

fitness (survival + reproduction)

Evolution

history of lineage

Evolution of Behavior

1) Variation
2) Fitness consequences
3) A mode of inheritance

Measuring Fitness

•Ideally, lifetime
reproductive success
• Proxys are often
used (survival, annual
reproduction)
- Distant proxys
(running speed,
foraging rate, etc.)

Variation

“fitness differences are almost always present, if the investigator searches hard enough”

A Mode of Inheritance

Heritability: proportion of variance in a trait attributable to genetic variance

Hypothesis

a proposed explanation for an observable phenomenon (Logical & testable)

Prediction

a statement about the expected pattern in nature or the outcome of experiment

Homologous Traits

Shared feature inherited from common ancestor
Common Descent
Structure and Form inherited, not necessarily function

Phylogenetic Independent Contrasts Method

interspecific comparison:
test whether traits correlate across species
• problem: related species may share the same traits due to shared ancestry = phylogenetic non-independence

'Knock- outs"

Targeted disruption of individual genes

Polygenic Traits

More than one gene is responsible for a trait or behavior

Development or ontogeny

origin of existence and changes through life

null

Developmental switches are activated in response to environmental cues

Ways in which development constrains behavior

Stereotyped ( Instinctive) Behaviors
Early life experience (Learning)
Morphology (Coloration, Genitalia)

Behavior that is experience dependent

song
social behavior
foraging
parental care

Interactive theory of development

behavior is shaped by the interaction of genes, environment, and nature

Hormones affect behavior in several ways

sexual traits
organization (ontogeny)
Trigger the onset (mating behavior)
Modify it (modulate or cease behavior)

Difference between hormones and neurotransmitters

Hormones are long lasting, slow, and global effects in small amounts
Neurotransmitters are fast, and have local effects

Learning

“A relatively permanent change in behavior as a result of experience"

What do animals learn?

• Navigation – where is food / home / resources
(remembering nectar location vs. content)
• Mates – who are the conspecifics, best mates, and
who should get decreased aggression?
• Familiar Relationships – who are your kin or mates
(helpers at nest)
• Aggression – fighting ability, winner and loser
effects, defense against predators

Aggression in blue gourami

males learn to associate a light with presence of another male
become more aggressive when they see the light

Two types of individual learning

Non- Associative
Associative

Non- Associative Learning

Learn from single stimulus experience –
habituation / sensitization

Associative Learning

Classical (Pavlovian) Conditioning and Operant conditioning

Habituation

Simple type of learning – learning not to respond after repeated exposure to a stimulus. Decrease in response to a stimulus over time

Classical Conditioning

Conditioned Stimulus + Unconditioned Stimulus= Conditioned Response
CS- fails to elicit particular response
US- elicits strong response without training
Bell +Food= salivation to bell

Sensitization

Increase in a response to a stimulus over time

Operant Conditioning

A response by an animal is
reinforced by reward or
punishment
• Edward Thorndike (1898-1911)
Cats escaping from “puzzle boxes
Response--stimulus--> satisfying event---> strong response

Stephens model of learning

Mathematical model predicting when
the ability to learn should evolve…
Model assumes that:
1) There is some cost to learning
2) Learning here is a genetic trait
(ability to learn)

Learning is favorable when there is

low between generation predictability and high within lifetime predictability

Compare and Contrast Individual and Social Learning

Similarity: Both may be subjected to natural
selection
Difference: Cultural learning can be passed
through generations so that it has both within and
between generation effects

Intrasexual Selection

Males compete for territory, control of
females, or opportunities to fertilize;
females just go with the winner

Combat

is a common form of pre-mating competition, resulting in evolution of extravagant male features for fighting

Interference

is a form of pre-mating competition where the male obstructs another male
from mating with a female

Sperm Competition

is a form of post-mating competition
-Larger ejaculate: can be modulated by male’s assessment of a female’s promiscuity
- Different kinds of sperm: ‘Kamikaze’ sperm, sprinters
- Copulatory plug

Intersexual Selection

When males cannot monopolize territory, females may be able
to “choose” among the males
Males have traits important in mating displays (color, tail,
claws) whereas females lack such ornamentation

Anisogamy

gametes vary in size

Batemans Principle:

1) Females are choosier because:
(i) eggs are expensive
(ii) reproductive succeeds is limited
2) Greater variance in reproductive success of males

Local Enhancement

Being drawn to a particular location by watching others gain resources there

Social Facilitation

The mere presence of a conspecific draws others in

Social Learning

Imitation
Copying

Imitation

acquisition of a new behavior in a new area through observation of a demonstrator

Copying

Observer repeats what she/ he has seen the model do

Teaching in Animals

Opportunity Teaching
Coaching

Opportunity Teaching

Situation conducive to learning: actively place students in an environment conducive to learning a new skill or acquiring knowledge

Coaching

Teacher directly alters the behavior of the student by encouragement or punishment

Modes of Cultural Transmission

Vertical
Horizontal
Oblique

Vertical Transmission

Parents to offspring

Horizontal Transmission

Individuals of same age (siblings, peers)

Oblique Transmission

Young learning from unrelated adults

Cultural Practice

Practice by multiple members
Vary between populations or societies
Potential for same behavior must exist in other population or society

Indirect Benefits ("good genes")

genes that are related to fitness levels ---> inc. fitness of offspring
should be easy to indicate because they are costly to reproduce

Aesthetic Trait

Attractive Trait

Direct Benefit

Nuptial gifts: better territory, nutritious resources, inc # of offspring a female can reproduce
Parental Care

Runaway Selection

Gene for female preference and gene for male trait present in both sexes but expressed only in one

Sensory Bias

Female preference is simply a side effect of sensory evolution which has evolved for other reasons
Females prefer male traits that elicit greater stimulation from their sensory system

Monogamy

one male, one female

Polygamy

Polygyny: 1 male, 2+ females
Polyandry: 1 female, 2+ males
Polygynandry: 2+ females, 2+ males

Why should a male be monogamous

Mate Guarding Hypothesis
Mate Assistance Hypothesis
Female Enforced Monogamy

Mate- Guarding

prevents sperm from leaving female (honey bees)
Should pay off when:
1. Females are scarce and hard to find
2. Females remain receptive after mating

Mate Assistance Hypothesis

Males stay with females b/c of ecological factors that make parental care/ offspring protection advantageous
Inc. survival of young outweighs extra young gained by mating with an extra mate
Male seahorses- males are scarce, females are vulnerable to predation so males take care of young

Female Enforced Monogamy

Females actively prevent males from obtaining extra mates
Beetles: females hit or bump male when he tries to attract other females with his pheremones

Dual Mate Enforced Monogamy

birds
`

Why polyandry

good genes
genetic compatibility (scorpions)
More access to resources
access to territories

Lek Polygyny

males form arenas just for mating

Hot spots hypothesis

males form leks because females frequently visit certain "hotspots"

Hot Shots Hypothesis

males form leks because subordinate males congregate around highly attractive males to increase their chance of being noticed by receptive females.

Female Preference Hypothesis

Females like to choose males from groups because it is easier to compare

Cooperative Leks

In many manakins males perform cooperative displays. Three or four males may cooperate to display but usually only the alpha male gets to mate

Why do Females Choose Polygyny: Polygyny Threshold Model

Some females choose to mate with already mated males who will not help them feed their chicks even though unmated males with territories are available
predicts that female will accept role of 2nd mate (polygyny) when superior resources on males territory mean that female would do better there than as 1st mate on a poor territory.

Kin Selection

When natural selection favors the spread of alleles that increase the indirect fitness
Inclusive fitness = Direct fitness + Indirect fitness

Kleptoparasitism

parasitism by theft

Kin Recognition

Acoustic Cues: Vocal signature in penguins
Under natural selective pressures: Spadefoot toad tadpoles
Two feeding morphs:
ditritus: herbivores
shrimp: carnivores

Bob Trivers

“If you take a benefit, you pay a cost”, e.g., “if I share my meat with you, you help me gather wood”

Tit for Tat Strategy

Cooperate on first move, thereafter reciprocate opponent’s previous action
Evolutionarily Stable

Prisoners Dilemma

Should always defect

Tit for Tat Five Criteria

1. Numerous chances to be recipient or donor
2. Past Associations
3. Roles of donor and recipient flip often
4. Short term benefits to recipient outweigh costs to donor
5. Donor can recognize and expel cheaters

Evolutionary Stable Strategy (ESS)

resistance to invasion by mutant strategies

Byproduct Mutualism

2 organisms interact with a fitness benefit
• There is a cost of no cooperating

Group Selection

Alleles can become fixed or spread in a population because of the benefits they
provide on groups

Coalitions

cooperative behavior that takes place in polyadic interactions

Polyadic Interactions

2+ individuals

Alliances

Long lasting coalitions

Communication

Production of a signal by one individual (the sender) that influences the behavior of another (the receiver), and evolved to do so.

Cues

Anything that gives off information ( not communication)

Optimal Foraging

maximize benefits while reducing costs
- Foragers don't handle prey while concurrently searching for another
- Prey are recognized instantly and accurately

Incidental Cues

Not deliberately produced
Frog tadpoles prematurely hatching to escape from snake

signals

give off information because it evolved to do so (communication)

Auto-communication

Animal is both the sender and receiver

Echolocation: bats and dolphins

Sensory Modalities of Communication

• Auditory: familiar sense, easy to quantify and manipulate, simpler processing
– Vibrations
• Visual: familiar sense, less easy to quantify and manipulate, complex processing
• Olfactory: less familiar sense, difficult to quantify and manipulate
• Electric: foreign sense, less easy to quantify and manipulate

Ritualization

Refinement of an inadvertent cue into a signal
Involves:
• Simplification or reduction of number of
components
• Exaggeration of remaining components
• Repetition of the display
• Stereotypy of signal (reduction of variance)

Antithesis

Displays of aggression and submission are often opposite in form

Intentional Movements

Preparatory action for a
specific behavior without
follow up
•Animal indicates its
intentions using a ritualized
signal
•Aggressive displays often
reflect attack preparation
movements

Autonomic Definitions

Autonomic responses that
produce visible changes may
provide the source for a
ritualized display
• Piloerection occurs during
fright but can also be coopted
as a display during aggressive
encounters or courtship

Co-evolution

The signal evolves before or together with the sensory preferences

Sensory Exploitation

Sensory preferences or biases may come first in evolutionary time

Signals should be deceitful and uninformative

• Senders are deceitful manipulators
• Receivers should be mind readers mind
-• Results in a never-ending arms race

Zahavi's Handicap Principle

signals ares honest because there is too high of a cost to produce a signal
Receivers shouldn't respond to signals unless they are honest

Where to live?

Choose space for resources avoiding competition,predation, and parasites

Abiotic Factors

Temperature
Humidity

Home Range

is the area in which an individual tends to restrict itself

Territorial Behavior- 4 components

1. Site attachment
2. Exclusive use of the area
3. Agonistic behavior
4. Attack changes to retreat at the territory boundary

The Ideal Free Distribution

IF Animals are
– IDEAL: Capable of perfectly assessing costs
and benefits of their current location.
– FREE: Capable of uninhibited movement to a
new location.
THEN,
• Animals will be spaced so that fitness (or some
measure of it) is equal everywhere.

Energetic costs of territoriality

Testosterone effects:
• reduce parental care
• repressed immune function

Dear Enemy Hypothesis

• Neighbors form a truce and refrain from
aggression
• Reduced aggression to intrusions of known
neighbors
• Responses are stronger towards calls of
strangers – songbirds, lizards, some fish and a
frog (strawberry poison dart frog)

Why do owners usually win?

• Owners are stronger than intruders
• The territory is worth more to the owner
than to the intruder
• A convention of “owner always wins” is used to
settle territory disputes

Resident wins is what type of strategy

ESS

Cues for habitat choice

• visual (i.e. vegetation, light)
• chemical (i.e. biofilms)
• social cues from conspecifics and
heterospecifcs

Why migrate?

-Food
-To Mate
- To Avoid extreme temperatures

Play

"Play is all motor activity performed postnatally
that appears to be purposeless, in which
motor patterns from other contexts may
often be used in modified forms and altered
temporal sequencing."

Burghard’s five criteria to recognize play:

1- Play is not fully functional in the form or context
in which it is expressed.
2- Play is spontaneous, voluntary, and/or pleasurable, and is likely done for its own sake.
3- Play is incomplete, exaggerated, or precocious.
4- Play is repeated but not in exactly the same way every time, as are more serious behaviors.
5- Play is initiated when animals are well fed, healthy, and free from acute or chronic stressors.

Object Play

• Play centers around the use of unanimate objects
• Performed by younger animals that have more “free time”
• Apparent low cost
• Well studied in captive populations

Locomotor Play

juvenile animals carry out movements-- either of parts of their bodies or their
entire bodies--similar to the physical actions of adults, but with no immediate or obvious end goal.
• relation to one anotherrimates, rodents and ungulates

Hypotheses to explain locomotor play

(a)Exercise and motor skill training
( b) Familiarity with where things are in relation to one another

Social Play

playing with others

How do animals know they are engaged in play?

In play, behavioral patterns are exaggerated and misplaced
Play markers

Play markers

signals that convey information to initiate and continue play

About this deck

By: Lillian Costandy
Textbook:

Principles of Animal Behavior (Second Edition)
Created: 2010-12-10
Size: 137 flashcards
Views: 84

About StudyBlue

“I have been getting MUCH better grades on all my tests for school. Flash cards, notes, and quizzes are great on here. Thanks!”
Kathy