Chapters 1-4 Flashcards
Study for Exam
Ethology
Study of animal behavior.
Ecology
Study of an organism’s interactions with their physical and biological environment and how that shapes their distribution and abundance.
Konrad Lorenz
Instinctive behavior (imprinting)
Karl von Frisch
Sensory Perception of Honeybee
Nikolaas Tinbergan
Social Behavior
What is behavior?
The coordinated responses of a whole living organism to internal/external stimuli.
Proximate Questions center on…
- Causation/Mechanism - what immediate stimuli elicit behavior.
- Ontogeny - Development
Ultimate questions center on…
- Adaptation - survival function, how does behavior affect survival/reproduction
- Phylogeny/Evolutionary history
Individual Learning
Can alter the frequency of behaviors; experience.
Cultural Transmission
Learn from others via social learning.
Conceptual Approach
Integrating unconnected ideas. Example = kin selection.
Theoretical Approach
Entails the generation of some sort of mathematical model.
Empirical
Collect data via experimentation and observation.
Variation is caused by…
Mutation, genetic recombination, migration.
Parsimony
Occam’s Razor, simplest is true.
Proximate Factors of Behavior
Hormone - chemically produced by cells in body and circulate through bloodstream, fluid in tissues to produce one or more functions.
Endocrine system = communication network
Endocrine glands = hormone synthesis and secretion.
Hormone/Receptor
Lock/key - relationship is put into play when hormones reach target cells.
Neurohormones
Can be released into the blood via neurons.
Oxytocin
Increase in the blood of pregnant mammals before birth. Allows contractions of uterus and expels placenta, stimulates secretion of milk.
Vasopressin (Antidiuretic hormone/ADH)
Retain water in the body and constrict blood vessels, acts by increasing water absorption in the collecting ducts of the kidney nephron.
Cortisol
Steroid hormone - released in response to stress and a low level of blood glucocorticoids. Functions: increase blood sugar, suppress immune system, aid in fat, protein, and carb metabolism. Decreases blood formation, can treat disease.
Molecular Level
Once a hormone reaches a cell and bonds with receptors, a series of interactions occur that affect the expression of genes and the synthesis of proteins.
Environmental Stimuli
Three interactive systems
1. input system made up of sensory systems.
2. central processor made up of integrators that process sensory information.
3. Output systems-effectors like muscles that move when stimulated.
What hormones do is change the probability of what?
Change the probability that a specific sensory input leads to a specific output.