Introduction to animal behaviour Flashcards
(13 cards)
What is animal behaviour?
The way animals move and interact with their physical and social environment, studied as repeatable, definable, and recognizable traits.
What is a fixed action pattern?
A stereotyped sequence of behaviours that is carried to completion once initiated, like the graylag goose retrieving an egg even if it slips away.
What is the significance of the honeybee waggle dance?
It communicates the direction and distance to a food source relative to the sun’s position, discovered by Karl von Frisch.
What is the field of comparative psychology?
The study of animal behaviour, often using controlled lab experiments.
What is behaviourism and when did it rise?
A systematic lab-based approach to studying behaviour, which rose in the 1930s; involves tools like the Skinner box.
What is classical conditioning?
Learning process where an animal associates a neutral stimulus with a reward, e.g., Pavlov’s dogs salivating at a bell anticipating food.
What is the biggest driver of species decline after habitat loss?
Human-wildlife conflict.
What does an integrated approach to studying behaviour consider?
Development, mechanism, evolutionary history, and function.
What is an example of an innate adaptive anti-predatory behaviour?
The suicide ant exploding near predators, a reflex that enhances survival.
What are the three approaches to studying animal behaviour?
Empirical (direct observation), conceptual (hypothesis based on context), and theoretical (mathematical models like optimal foraging).
What is optimal foraging theory?
Animals balance the energy gained from food against the cost and risk of travelling between patches.
How does natural selection relate to behaviour?
It selects behaviours that enhance fitness, such as cooperative hunting in African wild dogs.
Why is cooperation important in animal groups?
It increases fitness by allowing access to resources that individuals could not obtain alone.
