Ch.

40 Review
Names the biomes labeled a-f in the
climograph.
Ch. 39b Warm-Up
1. What is something that Define:
you can do that you  Circadian rhythms
have been able to do  Pheromones
since birth?  Learned behaviors
 Imprinting
2. What is one behavior  Associative
that you learned by learning
watching someone  Classical
else? conditioning
 Operant
3. List some ways that
conditioning
animals communicate.
Ch. 39b Warm-Up
1. What is the difference Define:
• Foraging
between proximate and
• Sexual Selection
ultimate causes of • Monogamous
behavior? • Polygamous
2. Explain the difference • Polygyny
between kinesis and • Polyandry
taxis. • Altruism
3. What are the 4 common • Inclusive fitness
modes of animal • Kin selection
communication?
Ch. 39b Warm-Up
1. What do you think is the
advantage for a species to be:
Monogamous?
Polygamous?
2. Describe an example of when you
have participated in reciprocal
altruism.
Chapter 39b
Animal Behavior
You Must Know:
• How behaviors are the result of natural selection
• How innate and learned behaviors increase survival
and reproductive fitness
• How organisms use communication to increase fitness
• The role of altruism and inclusive fitness in kin
selection
Introduction

Ethology: study of animal behavior

Behavior: what an animal does and how it does it
Both genetic & environmental factors
Essential for survival and reproduction
Subject to natural selection over time
Understanding behavior
 Proximate cause: “how” a behavior occurs or is
modified
 Ultimate cause: “why” a behavior in context of natural
selection

A courting pair of East Asian

red-crowned cranes.
BEHAVIOR: A male stickleback fish attacks other male
sticklebacks that invade its nesting territory.

PROXIMATE CAUSE: The red belly of the intruding male acts as

a sign stimulus that releases aggression in a male stickleback.

ULTIMATE CAUSE: By chasing away other male sticklebacks,

a male decreases the chance that eggs laid in his nesting
territory will be fertilized by another male.
 Innate behaviors: developmentally fixed
and are not learned
Fixed action patterns (FAPs): sequence
of unlearned acts that are unchangeable
and usually carried to completion
• Triggered by sign stimulus
• Ensures that activities essential to
survival are performed correctly
without practice
• Eg. goose & egg
Sign stimuli
in a classic
fixed action
pattern
Directed Movements
Kinesis: simple change in activity or turning
rate in response to a stimulus

Kinesis increases the chance that a sow bug will encounter and stay
in a moist environment.

Taxis: automatic movement, oriented

movement +/- from stimulus (eg. phototaxis,
chemotaxis, geotaxis)

Positive rheotaxis keeps trout facing into the current, the direction
from which most food comes.
Migration
Regular, long-distance change in
location
Environmental cues: sun, stars,
earth’s magnetic field, landmarks
 Circadian Rhythm: internal biological
clock

The circadian clock in the hamster brain signals a

change in coat color according to season by releasing
the hormone melatonin.

The Suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) region is located in

the hypothalamus of the brain. The SCN sends signals
throughout the body in response to dark and light. Plants can have two
internal clocks: one
sensitive to light and
the other sensitive to
temperature
 More on Clock Genes:
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/inheritance/clockgenes/
Signal: stimulus that causes a change
in behavior; basis of animal
communication
Pheromones – chemicals emitted by members of
one species that affect other members of the
species (eg. Queen bee, fruit fly, fish, termites,
trees, humans)
Visual signals – eg. Warning flash of white of a
mockingbird's wing
Tactile (touch) – eg. Male fruit fly taps female fly
Auditory signals – screech of blue jay or song of
warbler

Courtship behavior of fruit flies

Honeybee dance language
Used to inform other bees about distance
and direction of travel to food sources
Learned behaviors: behaviors that
are modified based on specific
experiences
 Types of Learning
1. Habituation: loss of
responsiveness to stimuli
that convey little or no
information
Simple form of learning
2. Imprinting: learning +
innate components
Limited to sensitive
period in life, generally
irreversible
ie. Lorenz’ imprinting in
greylag geese
BEHAVIOR: Young geese follow and imprint on their
mother.

PROXIMATE CAUSE: During an early, critical developmental

stage, the young geese observe their mother moving away
from them and calling.

ULTIMATE CAUSE: On average, geese that follow and

imprint on their mother receive more care and learn
necessary skills, and thus have a greater chance of
surviving than those that do not follow their mother.
 • Captive breeding programs for
endangered species must provide
proper imprinting models

Pilot wearing crane suit acts as a surrogate parent to teach young whooping cranes a
migration route
3. Spatial Learning
Cognitive Map: internal representation
of spatial relationship among objects in
an animal’s surroundings

Birds use spatial maps to relocate

nut caches
Some organisms
move in response to
a recognized object
or environmental
cue, a landmark.
4. Associative Learning: ability to associate one
stimulus with another (eg. monarchs = foul
taste)

A. Classical conditioning: arbitrary stimulus

associated with particular outcome (eg.
Pavlov’s dogs: salivate with ringing bell)
B. Operant conditioning: another type of
associative learning
Trial-and-error learning
Associate its own behavior with reward
or punishment
5. Cognition: process of knowing that involves
awareness, reasoning, recollection,
judgment
 Problem-solving behavior relies on
cognition
6. Social learning: learning by observing others

Vervet monkeys
learning correct use
of alarm calls.
 Examples of learned animal
behavior
Nut-cracking crow (2:16)
TED Talk: Amazing intelligence of crows
(11:34)
Chimpanzee problem solving (1:02)
Chimpanzee problem solving by
cooperation (2:14)
Foraging: food-obtaining behavior
Recognize, search for, capturing, and
consuming food
Minimize costs / Maximize benefits
Energy costs and benefits in foraging
behavior
Mating Behavior & Mate Choice
Sexual selection:
seeking and attracting
mates, choosing and
competing for mates

Polygamous
Promiscuou Monogamo
(polygynou Polyandry
s us
s)
1 M + many
Partners Many One 1F + many M
F
Showy
Structure Showy Similar Showy male
female
Care None Much Male = little Male = none
Sexual selection

Ornaments correlate
in general with
health and vitality
Agonistic behavior: threats, rituals, and
sometimes combat; settles disputes over
resources (mates)
Behaviors can be directed by
genes

Certain behaviors in
prairie voles are
under relatively
strong genetic control
ADH (vasopressin)
triggers pair-bond
formation and
aggression by male
voles
Differences in oxytocin (a hormone)
receptors in 2 species of voles
Monogamous prairie voles vs.
promiscuous montane voles

High oxytocin levels in Low oxytocin levels in

prairie voles montane voles
Video: Zebra Finch Parents Tell
Eggs: It’s Hot Outside
Altruistic social behavior
Altruism = selfless behavior
Reduce individual fitness but increase fitness of
others in population
i.e. bee societies; naked mole rats

Inclusive fitness: total effect of producing own

offspring (pass on genes) + helping close
relatives
Kin selection: type of natural selection;
altruistic behavior enhances reproductive
success of relatives
What does this mean?
Explain.
Geneticist J.B.S. Haldane: “I won’t lay down
my life for one brother, but I would lay
down my life for two brothers or eight
cousins.”
Review Question
Natural selection favors behaviors that
increase survival and reproductive
behaviors. For each of the following types
of behaviors, describe an example in
nature, and justify how this behavior is
adaptive.
(a) Innate behavior
(b) Learned behavior
(c) Cooperative behavior
(d) Chemical signals