Chapter 51 Animal Behavior

Question 1

What is the difference between instinct (innate) behavior and learned behavior?

Answer 1

• instinct/innate behavior is not learned from environment or others, present in everyone and does not change
• learned behavior is influenced by the environment and is changed by experience, learned in most of pop but it is hard to learn. Ex Monkey not afraid of snakes, sees video of snake killing monkey and it learns to be scared of monkey

Question 2

What is a fixed action pattern? (FAP)

Answer 2

-a sequence of actions that gets triggered by something and can’t stop until the process is over. It requires no learning
Ex: egg retrieval in verse, female wasp and prey replacement, and territory defense in male stickleback fish

Question 3

What is there difference between altruism and reciprocal altruism

Answer 3

• altruism is when an organism has behaviors that will cost them but benefit the recipient between close relatives
• reciprocal altruism does not have to be between close relatives the helper usually wants help back after they’ve helped back. Like a favor

Question 4

How does kin selection relate to altruism? Is there a difference in the actions of males and females?

Answer 4

-the behavior shows between close relatives. It will increase the fitness of close relatives it they decrease their own fitness. Increases reproductive output of relatives and increases frequency of shared genes. O females tend to show this (old female ground squirrels)

Question 5

What is inclusive fitness? I bidirectional fitness? Direct fitness?

Answer 5

• inclusive fitness is the sum of an individuals direct and indirect fitness (your offspring + offspring of relatives)
• direct: an individuals total reproductive output. How many offspring something can make and take care of
• indirect: how many offspring produced by close relatives

Question 6

What is infanticide? Why does this occur in some species?

Answer 6

-males who kill unrelated offspring because they don’t want to waste their resources and energy on someone not related to them. They only want to produce their own offspring (lions)

Question 7

Can you relate animal behavior to some human behaviors?

Answer 7

-yes infanticide. Humans abuse young children that are not theirs (living with 1 or 2 step parents(

Question 8

What is reproductive investment?is there a difference between males and females?

Answer 8

• individuals material and energetic contribution toward offspring.
• female gametes are larger and more energetically costly to produce, limited, don’t move
• males gametes are smaller, less energetically costly, plentiful, and mobile

Question 9

Is there a difference in the amount of energy invested in offspring? Internal fertilization, egg layers, external fertilization?

Answer 9

Yes it differs
Internal fertilization (mammals): greater in females offspring grows in body, females can only get pregnant once at at time
-egg: more equal, both incubate eggs, both feed offspring
-external fertilization: offspring are left to develop on their own

Question 10

How does female vulnerability differ from male?

Answer 10

• greater reproductive investment for females. Cost of choosing a Poot male is high, low quality offspring and male leaves her. Cost of maternal uncertainty is non existent
• male: cost of choosing a poor mate low, invest time and energy for mating, cost of paternity uncertainty is high.

Question 11

What are some ways a male will attract a choosy female? Why are females so choosy in the first place?

Answer 11

• display courtship behavior: they do a dance, defends territory for her, gives a gift like food, has a valuable physical attribute
• females make a greater investment on producing and raising offspring so they need to choose a good male

Question 12

How do some males make sure offspring? What are some different tactics in mate guarding?

Answer 12

• they do mate guarding

- they don’t stop mating, a copulatory plug, black widow male breaks off his sexual organ in her and she eats him

Question 13

Describe the difference between mating systems? Polygamy, polygyny, polyandry, and monogamy

Answer 13

Polygamy: some individuals attract multiple mates
Polygyny: individual males mate with multiple females
Polyandry: individual females mate with multiple males
Monogamy: individuals mate and remain with just 1 individual

Question 14

What is the difference in species that show sexual dimorphism and species that show sexual monomorphism?

Answer 14

• in sexual dimorphism, males are larger and more colorful, one parent invests more in caring of offspring, females are choosy, polygamy. Elephant seals
• sexual monomorphism, sexes appear similar, both are choosy,both parents invest equally into caring of offspring, monogamy. Birds

Question 15

How does communication affect behavior? What type of info is conveyed?

Answer 15

• action/signal from 1 organism that alters the behavior of another, such as cooperation, conflict, and mate selection
• conveys its own status and intentions to others

Question 16

What different modes of communication do animals use?

Answer 16

Chemical: pheromones, molecules are released into the environment and attracts mates, territory markers, trail marking
Acoustical: alarm calls, songs and calls, individual id, courtship call/song
Usual: shows health, escape predation, territory defenses, dominance

Question 17

Are there examples of complex forms of communication within the animal kingdom? Can this communication lead to the formation of language? Think if the examples given in class

Answer 17

Yes vervet monkeys have different calls for different predators. Yes since it is not a simple call.
-bees also have their own language. They have a complex form of communication. Bees dance to tell direction and distance of food. Figure 8 and waggles abdomen

Question 18

What is an honest signal? Why is an honest signal important?

Answer 18

-a signal that cannot be faked. Helps them select the best mate. For example females will pick a male with the loudest call