Unit 10: Animal Behaviour Flashcards
What are the causes of behaviour? Describe them.
Genetic - innate, fixed, similar among individuals “nature”
Non-genetic - learned, variable among individuals, “nurture”
What are Tinberg’s 4 questions to understand any behaviour?
- What stimulus elicits behaviour and what physiological mechanisms mediate response?
- How does animals growth and development impact response?
- How does behaviour aid survival and reproduction?
- What is the behaviour’s evolutionary history?
Which questions help determine proximate causation of behaviour? (the how)
- What stimulus elicits behaviour and what physiological mechanisms mediate response?
- How does animals growth and development impact response?
Which questions help determine ultimate causation of behaviour? (the why)
- How does behaviour aid survival and reproduction?
- What is the behaviour’s evolutionary history?
What is a fixed action pattern? Provide an example.
An innate behaviour that is unchangable in response to external stimiulus.
Ex. the stickleback fish attack anything with red underbelly as they think it is a fish with a red underbelly that they want to attack
Outline the steps of the fruit fly courtship ritual.
- Males identify female both visually and through sensing pheromones released by female (olfactory and visual).
- Male taps female so she knows he’s there (tactile)
- Males produce courtship song via wing vibrations (auditory)
What form of communication would a species that evolved in low light use?
Olfactory, auditory
What form of communication would a species that evolved in high light use?
Visual, auditory
What is imprinting? Give an example.
Irreversible behavioural modification done to an individual/object within their sensitive period.
The geese that imprint on humans as their parents.
What is spatial learning? Give an example.
Establishing memory reflecting environment’s spatial structure.
Ex. Wasps leave objects around test to find it again, but if objects were placed in the same orientation in a different area they would still think that the nest would be there even though its not.
What is a cognitive map?
Complex internal representation of spatial relationships, utilized in spatial learning.
What is associative learning? What are the 2 types and describe each briefly and give an example.
Modifying behaviour by associating one feature of the environment with another.
Classical Conditioning - Learn to associate stimulus with reward/punishment. Ex. if a dog hears a bell before meal, it will think that the bell sound means that there will be food so it salivates, even if there is no meal.
Operant Conditioning - Learning to associate behaviour (stimulus) with reward/punishment (trail and error). Ex. blue jay vomits after eating bright coloured monarch butterflies, it avoids eating similar coloured butterflies.
Define cognition.
Most complex integration of sensory information and memory.
Define problem solving.
A big sign of cognition. Devising new strategy to solving problem never previously experienced, intelligence.
ex. chimps stacking boxes to reach banana
What is social learning.
Learning by observing behaviour of others.
ex. vervet monkeys learning not to scream all the time just when an eagle comes by observing older relatives.
What are pheromones?
Chemical signals secreted in environment that are used as a form of communication.
What are diurnal animals?
Animals awake during the day, humans and birds.
What does foraging (food obtaining) behaviour include?
Recognizing, searching for, capturing na d eating food items.
What type of foraging would animals in high density populations benefit from?
Foraging far away.
What type of foraging would animals in low density populations benefit from?
Short distance foraging.
What is the optimal foraging model?
Concept that foraging behaviour is a compromise between obtaining nutrients and costs of obtaining food (like being eaten)
What is promiscuous mating?
Mating with no lasting relationships or strong pair bonds.
What is monogamous mating and how is sexual dimorphism exhibited?
One male mates with one female. Low sexual dimorphism.
What is polyandry and how is sexual dimorphism exhibited.
One female, multiple males. Females more showy than males.
