Animal Behavior
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Transcript Animal Behavior
Animal Behavior
Adaptive Behavioral
Responses
Stimulus –
– Internal stimuli tell an animal
what is happening in its own
body
Ex. Thirst, hunger, pain
– External stimuli give animals
information about its
surroundings
Ex. sound, sight, changes in length
of day
Internal and External
Stimuli
Interactions between
internal and external
stimuli usually trigger
specific behaviors.
– Ex. What might be some
internal and external stimuli
that cause you to wake up
in the morning?
Detection and Response to
Stimuli
Organs that are activated
in response to stimuli:
1. Endocrine System
(glands)
2. Muscular System
Function of Behavior
Homeostatic mechanism
Two types of movement-related
behaviors:
1. kinesis – random movement
2. taxis – movement in a specific
direction
Kinesis or Taxis?
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/group-ofamerican-cockroaches-disperse-scurrying-stockvideo-footage/143497781
http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/reso
urce/vtl07.la.ws.style.moths/moths/
Cyclical Behaviors
Circadian Rhythm – daily cycle of activity
ex. sleep at night, active during day
- Biological clock controls patterns
Hibernation
Avoiding cold
winter
temperatures by
entering a dormant
state
– Lower body
temperature
– Reduced heartbeat
– Slowed breathing
rate
– Not eating
Migration
Periodic movement from one place to another
and then back again.
– Ex. birds, butterflies, whales
– Seasonal
Instinct vs. Learning
Instinct – inborn
(innate) behavior
– behavior that
is performed
correctly the first
time an animal
tries it
– Ex. spiders building
webs
Instinctive behavior
Mistakes can
have severe
consequences!
Important
behavior for
newborns.
Baby turtles not
racing to the
ocean.
https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=w82xpBR_Z4A&edufilter
=ITEV1GgfY7rUuGxSyy0SA
Instinct vs. Learning
Animals often change
their behavior as they
gain experience ---they
learn!
Types of learning:
Habituation – learning
to ignore a repeated
stimulus (ex. plastic
garden owls in garden)
Types of learning
continued…
Imprinting – a rapid and irreversible
learning process that only occurs during
a short time in an animal’s life
– Ex. identifying parents
Classic scientist that
demonstrated imprinting
Conrad Lorenz and his geese
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqZmW7uIPW4
Types of learning
continued…
Imitation –
learning by
observing others
– Ex. babies
learning to
speak
Associative Learning
Associative Learning – An animal
learns to associate a specific action
with its consequences
– Ex. Trial and error learning
Types of Associative
Learning:
1.
Classical Conditioning – animal learns
to associate a previously neutral
stimulus with a behavior that was
once triggered by a different stimulus
Ex. Pavlov’s Dogs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhqumfpxuzI
Pavlov’s dog in classical
conditioning
Types of Associative
Learning continued…
2.
Operant
Conditioning –
positive or negative
reinforcement
increases or decreases
a behavior
Ex. “Skinner boxes” or
electric fence for pets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
D-RS80DVvrg
Operant Conditioning: The Skinner Box
http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=Mt4N9GSBoMI
Benefits and Costs of
Behavior
Benefits
Costs
-
Survivorship
-
Energy Costs
-
Reproduction
(fitness)
-
Opportunity Costs
-
Risk Costs
Benefits Must Outweigh
Costs
Territoriality – control of a
specific area by one or
more species
Optimal Foraging Theory
– natural selection should
favor behaviors that get
animals the most calories
for the cost
Social Behavior
Some animals live in groups that have
definite social structures.
Benefits of Social
Behavior
Improved foraging
Members can help
each other
Reduces chance of
predation
Costs of Social Behavior
Increased
visibility to
predators
Increased
competition
Increased chance
of spreading
diseases or
parasites
Social Behaviors
Communication visual, sound, touch
chemical- pheromones
Mate Selection –
Courtship behaviors
Defense – aggressive
actions for protection
Courship Behaviors in Birds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMbDjNDD4cM
Helpful Social Behaviors
Cooperation
Reciprocity –
I’ll help you if
you will help
me.
Altruism –
animal reduces
its own fitness
to help others
Eusocial behavior –
extreme altruism
Eusocial species live in large groups
Most members are nonreproductive
such as workers or soldiers
All offspring from one female (queen)
Most are haplodiploid – males are
haploid, females diploid. Sons are
from unfertilized eggs.
Eusocial Ants
Social behavior in bees
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7cX2cjFunw
Animal Cognition
Cognition is the mental process of
knowing through perception or
reasoning.
-
Includes awareness and ability to judge
Solving complex problems
Perception
reasoning
Solving Problems
Insight – ability to solve problems
without repeated trial and error (ex.
Monkey and bananas)
Animals use tools (inanimate objects
to help accomplish a task), shows they
understand cause and effect
Intelligent?
Large brains
Live in complex social groups
Cultural behavior – taught to next
generation (not naturally selected)
Who’s the smartest?
Parrots,
dogs, dolphins,
elephants, monkeys, octopus,
pigs, squirrels, whales?
Most intelligent animals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z-xSBrCG3w
http://www.animalplanet.com/videotopics/pet-entertainment/funny-petvideos/smartest-animals.htm