ethology

Question 1

ethology

Answer 1

the study of natural behaviour and communication of animals

Question 2

ethologists

Answer 2

scientists who study animal behaviour, usually in their natural environment; they also look into the evolution of behaviour

Question 3

reasons for studying behaviour

Answer 3

• improve captive animal management
• manage animal populations
• improve animal welfare

Question 4

Charles Darwin

Answer 4

• famous for his work on evolution
• realised that both physical and behavioural traits can be inherited and are subject to natural selection
• certain innate behaviours give an advantage and so are passed down through the generations

Question 5

displacement

Answer 5

doing a natural behaviour out of context

Question 6

ethogram

Answer 6

• a catalogue of observed behaviour in a species or individual
• ethograms are purely descriptive statements (no interpretation)

Question 7

constructing an ethogram

Answer 7

• preliminary observation (common / expected behaviours)
• description of each behaviour
• categorise (locomotion, posture)
• two categories that should always be included; out of sight + other

Question 8

state behaviours

Answer 8

• behaviours that occur over a length of time (e.e. resting/sleeping)
• state behaviours are mutually exclusive to one another

Question 9

event behaviours

Answer 9

behaviours that are brief / sudden

Question 10

ad lib sampling

Answer 10

observing one or all animals from a group, recording what happens and when

Question 11

focal sampling

Answer 11

observing a specific individual for predetermined reasons and recording all behaviours

Question 12

scan sampling

Answer 12

scanning a whole group of individuals at set intervals recording the behaviour of each individual

Question 13

behaviour sampling

Answer 13

watching a group of individuals, recording every incidence of a specific behaviour

Question 14

continuous recording

Answer 14

• an exact record of the frequency (how often) and duration (how long) of all behaviours seen
  :) → accurate - full picture of behaviours
  :( → time consuming and could require a recording if there is a large group of individuals

Question 15

instantaneous sampling (aka interval / time sampling)

Answer 15

• on each set interval / sample point, only current behaviour is recorded
• frequency is recorded, but not duration
  :) → much easier, simple tally chart
  :( → less informative, potentially less accurate - no recording of behaviour in between sample points

Question 16

interpreting signals

Answer 16

• the signs an animal gives will depend on the senses that are most important to that species
• emotions shown through signals: dominance, submission, fear, aggression, stress

Question 17

Niko Tinbergen’s four questions

Answer 17

why do animals behave in a certain way?
1.) function
2.) evolution
3.) cause
4.) development

Question 18

Niko Tinbergen 1.) function

Answer 18

• the function of behaviour
• “adaptive significance”
• what is the animal trying to achieve?
• how does the behaviour improve survival?

Question 19

Niko Tinbergen 2.) evolution

Answer 19

• the evolution of behaviour
• phylogeny → the relationship between all organisms that have descended from a common ancestor
• how has the behaviour emerged over evolutionary time?

Question 20

Niko Tinbergen 3.) cause

Answer 20

• the cause of the behaviour
• “mechanism”
• what internal or external factors or stimuli have caused the animal to produce a particular behaviour?

Question 21

Niko Tinbergen 4.) development

Answer 21

• the development of the behaviour
• ontogeny → the development of an organism from the time of fertilisation of the egg to an adult
• does the behaviour change as the animal grows from an infant to an adult?
• does the behaviour change with practice?