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Behaviors Definition: An action, or series of actions, performed by an animal in response to a stimulus. Stimulus: Change in the environment such as a sound or smell. It can also be internal such as hunger. Questions How is the behavior triggered? What is the mechanism? What is the reasoning for the behavior? Why questions look at evolution. ○ Often the reason an animal performs a behavior is because it will increase its longevity or ability to reproduce. Why example… Lions Male lions can only keep control of a pride for a couple of years. In this time they have to have cubs of their own. Females though will not reproduce if they already have cubs. If their cubs die they will want to reproduce immediately. They kill other males cubs to have their own. Natural Selection Natural Selection will always favor the traits that ensure the survival and reproduction of an individual not the group. It is all about competition!!! Where do they come from? Genetic? Some traits animals are born with such as chirping in crickets. An experiment was done where they took 2 types of crickets: 1 chirps a lot, the other group chirped less. They mated with the extreme males in both groups and by the 4th generation the difference between the 2 groups was huge. Learned through experience? Learning: the development of behaviors through experience. Imprinting: learning to recognize the mother. Konrad Lorenze He was able to imprint the young geese to himself. Conditioning… Conditioning is when an animal is taught to associate behaviors with a learned stimulus. Ivan Pavlov taught dogs to associate the ringing of a bell with food. They would salivate on cue. Communication Animals use signals to communicate and read their environment. Signal: posture, call, scent, movement, or facial change. To be effective the signal must be able to travel through the environment. Language Language is used by primates including humans. Primates: use vocabulary they associate with the presence of a predator. ○ Chimpanzees do this all the time. ○ Odor and other non-verbal cues are also apart of communication. Sexual Selection The evolutionary mechanism where the traits that enhances an animal’s ability to get mates increases in number. Sexual Selection Monogomy: When 1 female and 1 male mate for long period of time. •An example is humans, some birds, and the dwarf African antelope. •Very few mammals practice monogomy. •Alpha and Beta pairings. Sexual Selection Polygyny: When 1 male mates with more than one female. They do this to ensure their genes get passed on to the next generation. There are lots of examples of this found in nature. •Elk •Deer •Prairie Chickens •Wild Horses Sexual Selection Polyandry: When 1 female mates with more than 1 male. Do this to ensure survival of their offspring. There are also lots of examples of this found in nature. •Chimpanzees •Squirrels •Frogs •Dragonflies Sexual Selection Choosing A Mate Each species usually produces its own sound to ensure they mate with their own species. Most females and some males shop around for the best mate. ○ Males are often limited in evolutionary success by mates. Sexual Selection There are physical indicators of an animals genes. Females will determine who has the best genes through their physical traits. Example: Female frogs listen to many males calls and then pick the best call. Sexual Selection/Courtship What gender is often in charge of courtship? Why? Foraging Locating, obtaining, and consuming food. Foraging Example: squirrels Some squirrels put all their food in one place. Some squirrels bury it all over. What are some pros and cons of both situations? Migration Why would migration be evolutionarily advantageous? Territorial Behavior Resources=Mates This makes defensive strategies vital! Examples: food, mates, killing their young. Wolves, as a pack, will defend their territory. Not all defense of territory is done in groups. Kin Selection When an individual helps its relatives reproduce instead of having its own offspring. Altruism is a self-sacrificing behavior. Is kin selection an altruistic behavior? Kin Selection Examples are ants, bees, wasps, and termites. Worker bees spend their entire life assisting the queen bee (the only female that can reproduce). Parental Care Only necessary if you have a few offspring. THE END.