Transcript document

Chapter 51: Behavioral Ecology
1. What is behavior?
- what an animal does & how it does it
2. What is ethology?
- the study of behavior
3. What is the difference between proximate & ultimate questions?
- Proximate – mechanistic – what in the immediate environment led
to the observed behavior?
- Ultimate – why did natural selection favor this behavior?
4. Let’s consider 3 famous ethologists…
- Niko Tinbergen – 3-spined stickleback
Figure 51.3 Sign stimuli in a classic fixed action pattern
(a) A male three-spined stickleback fish shows its red underside.
(b) The realistic model at the top, without a red underside, produces no
aggressive response in a male three-spined stickleback fish. The
other models, with red undersides, produce strong responses.
Fixed action pattern – sequence of behavioral acts that is unchangeable &
usually carried to completion once started – triggered by a sign stimulus
Figure 51.4 Proximate and ultimate perspectives on aggressive
behavior by male sticklebacks
BEHAVIOR: A male stickleback fish attacks other male sticklebacks that invade its
nesting territory.
PROXIMATE CAUSE: The red belly of the intruding male acts as a sign stimulus
that releases aggression in a male stickleback.
ULTIMATE CAUSE: By chasing away other male sticklebacks, a male decreases
the chance that eggs laid in his nesting territory will be fertilized by another male.
Chapter 51: Behavioral Ecology
1. What is behavior?
- what an animal does & how it does it
2. What is ethology?
- the study of behavior
3. What is the difference between proximate & ultimate questions?
- Proximate – mechanistic – what in the immediate environment led
to the observed behavior?
- Ultimate – why did natural selection favor this behavior?
- Related question – what’s more important, nature or nurture?
- Both are equally important!!
4. Let’s consider 3 famous ethologists…
- Niko Tinbergen
- 3-spined stickleback - FAP
- Digger wasps – visual cues for learning
- Learning – modification of behavior based on experience
Figure 51.14 Does a digger wasp use landmarks to find her nest?
EXPERIMENT A female digger wasp excavates and cares for four or five separate underground nests, flying to each nest daily with food for the
single larva in the nest. To test his hypothesis that the wasp uses visual landmarks to locate the nests, Niko Tinbergen marked one nest with a ring
of pinecones.
Nest
RESULTS
When the wasp returned, she flew to the center of the pinecone circle instead of to the nearby nest. Repeating the experiment with
After
the mother visited the nest and flew away, Tinbergen
many wasps, Tinbergen obtained the same
results.
moved the pinecones a few feet to one side of the nest.
Nest
CONCLUSION
No Nest
The experiment supported the hypothesis that digger wasps use landmarks to keep track of their nests.
Chapter 51: Behavioral Ecology
1. What is behavior?
- what an animal does & how it does it
2. What is ethology?
- the study of behavior
3. What is the difference between proximate & ultimate questions?
- Proximate – mechanistic – what in the immediate environment led
to the observed behavior?
- Ultimate – why did natural selection favor this behavior?
- Related question – what’s more important, nature or nurture?
- Both are equally important!!
4. Let’s consider 3 famous ethologists…
- Niko Tinbergen
- 3-spined stickleback - FAP
- Digger wasps – visual cues for learning
- Konrad Lorenz
- imprinting – learning that is limited to a specific time period (early)
& is usually irreversible
- Critical period – early learning time
Figure 51.5 Proximate and ultimate perspectives on imprinting in
graylag geese
BEHAVIOR: Young geese follow and imprint on their mother.
PROXIMATE CAUSE: During an early, critical developmental stage, the young
geese observe their mother moving away from them and calling.
ULTIMATE CAUSE: On average, geese that follow and imprint on their mother
receive more care and learn necessary skills, and thus have a greater chance of
surviving than those that do not follow their mother.
Chapter 51: Behavioral Ecology
1. What is behavior?
- what an animal does & how it does it
2. What is ethology?
- the study of behavior
3. What is the difference between proximate & ultimate questions?
- Proximate – mechanistic – what in the immediate environment led
to the observed behavior?
- Ultimate – why did natural selection favor this behavior?
- Related question – what’s more important, nature or nurture?
- Both are equally important!!
4. Let’s consider 3 famous ethologists…
- Niko Tinbergen
- 3-spined stickleback - FAP
- Digger wasps – visual cues for learning
- Konrad Lorenz
- imprinting – learning that is limited to a specific time period (early)
& is usually irreversible
- Karl von Frisch – honeybee communication
- Round dance – food close - <50m
- Waggle dance (figure 8) – food far - >50m
Chapter 51: Behavioral Ecology
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is behavior?
What is ethology?
What is the difference between proximate & ultimate questions?
Let’s consider 3 famous ethologists…
What is the difference between taxis & kinesis?
- Taxis – targeted movement toward (+) or away (-) from a stimulus
- Photo - light
- Chemo – chemical
- Rheo – river flow
- Kinesis – generalized increase in activity – termites
Figure 51.7 A kinesis and a taxis
Dry open
area
Moist site
under leaf
(a) Kinesis increases the chance that a sow bug will encounter and
stay in a moist environment.
Direction
of river
current
(b) Positive rheotaxis keeps trout facing into the current, the direction
from which most food comes.
Chapter 51: Behavioral Ecology
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What is behavior?
What is ethology?
What is the difference between proximate & ultimate questions?
Let’s consider 3 famous ethologists…
What is the difference between taxis & kinesis?
What is associative learning?
- ability of some animals to associate one stimulus with another
- Classical conditioning (learning)
- Associating an arbitrary stimulus with an involuntary response
- Pavlov’s dogs
- Associated w/ INVOLUNTARY BEHAVIOR (ringing bell causes
salivation)
- Operant conditioning (learning) – trial & error
- Associating a voluntary behavior with a consequence (+ or -)
- BF Skinner – Skinner box
- Associated w/ VOLUNTARY BEHAVIOR (pressing a green button to
receive food; pressing a red button to receive an electric shock)
Figure 51.16 Operant conditioning
Figure 51.17 Young chimpanzees learning to crack oil palm nuts by
observing older chimpanzees – practice
Chapter 51: Behavioral Ecology
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What is behavior?
What is ethology?
What is the difference between proximate & ultimate questions?
Let’s consider 3 famous ethologists…
What is the difference between taxis & kinesis?
What is associative learning?
What is play?
- Movements closely associated with goal-oriented behaviors
- Stalking, hunting, attacking, mating, etc
8. What is agonistic behavior?
- Threatening & aggressive behavior to avoid conflict where indvidiual
gains access to food or a mate
- Determines the dominance hierarchy (pecking order)
9. What is territoriality?
- Area that an animal defends so it can control food, water, mates, “homes”
- Mating behavior….
Chapter 51: Behavioral Ecology
1. What is behavior?
2. What is ethology?
3. What is the difference between proximate & ultimate questions?
4. Let’s consider 3 famous ethologists…
5. What is the difference between taxis & kinesis?
6. What is associative learning?
7. What is play?
8. What is agonistic behavior?
9. What is territoriality?
10. What is courtship?
- Series of behaviors to make sure animals are of the same species,
opposite sex, & in good physical condition
Ritualistic behaviors, scents, songs, male “fights”
- Mating systems
- Promiscuous – no strong pair-bonds or lasting relationships
- Monogamous – 1 male & 1 female
- Polygamous
- Polygyny – 1 male (alpha) with several females (usual)
- Polyandry – 1 female with several males (rare)
- Semelparous – individuals only mate ONCE in lifetime
Chapter 51: Behavioral Ecology
1. What is behavior?
2. What is ethology?
3. What is the difference between proximate & ultimate questions?
4. Let’s consider 3 famous ethologists…
5. What is the difference between taxis & kinesis?
6. What is associative learning?
7. What is play?
8. What is agonistic behavior?
9. What is territoriality?
10. What is courtship?
11. How do animals communicate?
- Visual – colors, size, etc
- Auditory – songs, grunts, etc
- Olfactory – pheromones – chemical odors used for mating
12. What is altruistic behavior?
- Sacrificing one’s self to benefit the group
- Belding’s ground squirrels
- Male drone bees – sting & die to protect hive
- Kin selection – altruistic behavior that benefits one’s relative
- Family does not separate or move far from home