Animal Behavior
description
Transcript of Animal Behavior
Animal Behavior
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fpat/3375999258/
Behavior - any action that can be observed and described. Some are innate, while others are learned.
Ethology - the scientific study of animal behavior
Kinesis and Taxis are 2 major animal responses to stimuliKinesis: non-directional movement in response to a stimulus
Taxis: directional movement in response to a stimulus (toward or away)
Types of Taxis• Gravitaxis
Ex: Fruit flies will always move against gravity
• ThermotaxisEx: Slime molds move along temperature
gradient to stay in soil of appropriate temperatures
• PhototaxisEx: cockroaches move away from light
• ChemotaxisEx: Ants follow trail left by other ants
Thigmonasty is a type of Thigmotaxis http://ticklemeplant.com/ ( Mimosa pudica )
Why do behaviors exist?Studies of animal behavior often focuses on what behaviors are genetically based and what is learned (Nature vs. Nurture)
Nature vs. Nurture
Twin studies
-Look at characteristics of twins raised apart-Many share common preferences in food, activity patterns and mate selection
Hog Nose Snake
-Natural defense to spit at predators and then turn over and ooze secretion that smells like rotting flesh
Serial Killer, Ted Bundy
Is a serial killer born that way?
Some human instincts….
Learned Behaviors: change in behavior as a result of experience
1. Imprinting2.Classical Conditioning3.Operant Conditioning4.Habituation5.Observations6. Insight
Learning during Critical Period
Imprinting - bond that forms between adults and offspring
Classical Conditioning (Pavlov's Dogs)
OPERANT CONDITIONINGInvolves "training" a behavior using a reward or punishment system.
Skinner Box
Crow Vending Machine??
Habituation: same stimuli over and over, so you learn to ignore it
• Hamster stops responding to cage every time you tap on bars
• Turtle stops drawing its head in every time you tap its shell
• Boy who cried wolf
Observational learning: watching another organism and mimicking its behaviorhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-LTWFnGmeg
Insight Learning: trial-and-error learning
If you are given materials, can you build what you need to achieve the desired result?
Sociobiology and Animal Behavior
Altruism vs. Self Interest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icaGIeOY9gc
What is the advantage of being helpful?
Chimp vs Human vs Dog
Mating Behavior
Sexual Selection – increases an animal’s ability to mate and produce offspring
Expressed in 3 ways:
1. Male competition - males will compete for access to females, leads to dominance hierarchies and territoriality
2. Female Choice: females invest more in offspring by being choosier about their mate’s genes
3. Sexual dimorphism: as a result of female choice, traits in males become exaggerated
Animal Communication
• Chemical (pheromones)
• Auditory• Visual• Tactile (touch)
Humans aren’t the only animals with a “language”!
Waggle Dance
Environmental cues and cycles that regulate behavior• Hibernation: period of inactivity
and metabolic depression, usually in cooler weather
• Estivation: period of inactivity in hot temperatures, to avoid dessication
• Migration: Long distance, seasonal movement, usually for reproductive purposes Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLoXDFDeD9E
Physiological responses often synchronize with environmental cycles
• Hibernation/Estivation tend to synchronize with seasons and weather
• Visual displays for reproduction tend to occur in the later summer and early fall, so that gestation occurs through harshest part of year
• Circadian Rhythms, a 24-hour cycle, is present in all eukaryotes