behavioural ecology Flashcards
(26 cards)
what is behavioural ecology concerned with
is concerned with evolution and adaptiveness, and how it relates to the enviornment too.
many behaviours are plastic and learned, but some have heritable components
behaviour can therefore evolve like other traits
fitness
the success of an organism to contribute offspring to future generations
behaviour and the different ways it can be
behaviour is the action of an animal in response to stimulus. it can be plastic, innate, learned or inherited
the phenotypic gambit
we can study the contribution of behaviours to fitness without needing to know their genetic architecture
tinbergens four questions
function (adaptation), evolution (phylogeny), causation (mechanism), development (ontogeny)
ways to test inhertiance of behaviour via experiments
a. similarities between parents and offspring via common garden experiments
b. cross-breeding experiments
c. artificial selection experiments
example blackcaps about heritable behaviour
migratory behaviour was deemed to be heritable as offspring exhibited migratory behaviour like their parents even when kept in captivity
what does the loss of migration in black caps show
the response of behaviour of species to changing environments
what is the optimality approach & example
based on making predictions about the optimal behaviour, depending on costs and benefits.
in great blue tits: there is an optimal behaviour between body fat and predation and starving to death.
what are conditional decisions
the optimal behaviour depends on the particular conditions relating to an organism and its environment
proximate and ultimate questions
proximate = mechanisms
ultimate = evolutionary history and behaviour
kin selection & altruism
altruism can evolve if it entails helping kin through the process of kin selection. favours spread of behaviours though any kin
hamiltons rule
rB > C
the realtedness and the benefit is greater than the cost
Cooperation can evolve if…. and example
mutually beneficial. an exmaple is cooperative hunting between gropers and eels
coefficient of relatedness
the measure of proportion of genes shared by descent by two individuals
explain hamiltons rule
altruistic behaviour is more likely to evolve the closer to individuals are, and the greater the benefit of the recipient compared to the cost of the donor
hamiltons rule example
should a female kngaroo call out to save another if a dingo is approaching if it means she would die? it depends on how related she is to that kangaroo and its joey. she would only do it if they were sisters
reciprocity would evolve in non-related individuals if….
- both benefit in the long run - the cost of the altruistic trait is less than the benefit to the recipient
- there are opportunities for future reciprocation
- individuals are able to recognise others and punish those who don’t participate
example of reciprocity
predator checking with guppies. a guppy takes turns being in front with another guppy. if a guppy runs away, it will be socially shunned.
types of cooperative breeding and examples
obligate cooperative breeding: breeding cannot occur alone or in a pair: meerkat.
facultative cooperative breeding: a pair may occasionally receive help from others. example: pied kingfisher helping for rent until it is old enough to mate.
eusocial cooperative breeding: helpers are infertile and help their whole lives.
what are the anti-predator benefits of grouping
a. dilution effect. more individuals makes it safer and can even confuse the predator
b. increased vigilance - many eyes means more vigilance for predators - which can increase individual foraging time
what are the foraging benefits of grouping
a. lower individual level vigilance - more time spent foraging
b. cooperative hunting - e.g. wild dogs hunt in a group and can take down larger prey
c. information is shared about food
d. learning of new behaviours or techniques
what are the reproduction benefits of grouping
a. cooperative breeding might improve overall reproductive success
grouping costs: competition
a. more individuals means more competition for resources. this can lead to wasted time and energy having for forage further and wasted time and energy fighting over food. dominance hierarchies can be established.
