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Animal Behavior
Biology
Chapter 34

IQ #1
Brainstorming is a technique that, when used
effectively, allows you to draw out more information
than you might have otherwise. To brainstorm a
particular topic, write down any words that come to
mind during the time allotted. Try to continue writing
throughout the time given and do not stop to analyze
any of the words you have written down.
1. The word you are to brainstorm is behavior. Behavior
is the way an organism reacts to changes in its internal
condition or external environment. On a sheet of paper,
make a list of as many behaviors as possible. You will
have two minutes.
2. After you have finished this section, revisit your list.
Write the letter “I” next to any words that describe
innate, or unlearned, behaviors. Write the letter “L” next
to any words that describe learned behaviors.
Section outline:34–1 Elements of Behavior
A. Stimulus and Response
1. Types of Stimuli
2. How Animals Respond
B. Behavior and Evolution
C. Innate Behavior
D. Learned Behavior
1. Habituation
2. Classical Conditioning
3. Operant Conditioning
4. Insight Learning
E. Instinct and Learning Combined
Behavior
Behavior is the way an organism reacts to
changes in its internal condition or external
environment.
 Innate Behavior: Instinct or inborn
 Learned Behavior: Acquired over time

Japanese Macaque Monkeys
A. Stimulus and Response
Stimulus (pleural: stimuli): Any kind of
signal that carries that carries
information and can be detected
1. Types of Stimuli
Animals respond to many different types
of external and internal stimuli.
ex. Senses of sight, sound, smell, touch,
taste, heat, echolocation, magnetic field
detection, hunger, thirst, etc.
Stimulus and Response
Response: A single specific reaction to a
stimulus.
A behavior may consist of multiple response
2. How Animals Respond
a. When an animal responds to a stimulus,
body systems-including the sense organs,
nervous system, and muscles- interact to
produce the resultant behavior
b. Depends on the complexity of the nervous
system of the organism
B. Behavior and Evolution
a. Behavior is essential to survival
b. Many behaviors are influenced by genes
c. Therefore they can be inherited
d. They can help an individual to survive and
reproduce
e. They can be passed on to offspring and
through generations of Natural selection,
influence the species survivability
f. Known as an Adaptive Behavior
Moth Wing Flapping Evolution:
Adaptive Behavior
Innate Behavior
C. Innate behavior: Appear as fully
functional the first time they are
performed, even though the animal has no
previous experience with the stimuli to
which it responds.
a. Triggered by the environment (sign stimulus
or a releaser)
b. Inherited neurological circuitry that directs
behavior
Innate Behavior
c. Kinesis & Taxis-change in activity in response to
stimuli
d. Migration
e. Signals & Communication (pheromones)
f. Fixed Action patterns (FAP) observed in the
Graylag goose & egg rolling & the three-spined
stickle back fish
g. Other examples:
 suckling of a newborn mammal
 weaver bird hanging nest building
 spider web weaving
Egg Rolling w/Graylag Goose
Fixed Action Pattern: action is carried out to completion
D. Learned Behavior
Learned behavior (Acquired behavior):
behavior that is able to be altered as a
result of experience and interaction with
the environment.
a. Develops over time
b. Four major types of learning: habituation,
classical conditioning, operant
conditioning, and insight learning.
1. Habituation
a. When an animal decreases or stops a
response to a repetitive stimulus.
b. Ignoring a non-threatening or unrewarding
stimulus
c. Allows organisms to spend their time and
energy more efficiently
d. Long-lasting when fully habituated
e. This lack of response is not a result of
fatigue nor of sensory adaptation
Ex. Common shore ragworm
2. Classical Conditioning
a. Mental connection between a stimulus and
some kind of reward or punishment
b. Pavlov’s Dog experiment: changed a dogs
stimulus for the innate response of salivation.
c. Salivation, food, and bell
d. Can opener w/dogs and cats
Pavlov’s Dog Experiment
Before Conditioning
When a dog sees or smells
food, it produces saliva. Food
is the stimulus and the dog’s
response is salivation. Dogs
do not usually salivate in
response to nonfood stimuli.
During Conditioning
By ringing a bell every time he fed
the dog, Pavlov trained the dog to
associate the sight and smell of
food with the ringing bell.
After Conditioning
When Pavlov rang a bell in
the absence of food, the dog
still salivated. The dog was
conditioned to salivate in
response to a stimulus that it did
not normally associate with food.
3. Operant Conditioning
a. When an animal learns to behave a certain way
due to repeated practice, in order to receive a
reward or avoid punishment
b. May not involve an innate response
c. Dog training, parenting, maze experiments, etc.
d. Skinner experiment with pigeons in a box with a
lever
e. Also known as Trial and Error, free to try many
different behaviors.
f. Use positive and negative reinforcement
Skinner Box
4. Insight Learning
Reasoning:
applying
something already
learned to a new
situation, without
a period of trial
and error.
 Common among
humans and other
primates

5. Instinct and Learning Combined
a. Many behaviors are a combination of innate ability
and learning
 Bird songs
 Imprinting (sight and smell)
 Critical

period: limited time imprinting can occur
Konrad Lorenz’ experiments with Geese
 Geese
imprint on first moving object they see
 His geese imprinted on Him.

Human infants:
-Grasping
-cheek & feeding
-smiling w/parent
-Babinski reflex
Imprinting
Normal geese imprinting
Konrad Lorenz, Goslings
imprinted on "mom"
Salmon imprint on stream odor from where they
hatched to return later
Patterns of Behavior
Chapter 34 -2
Section 34-2
Concept Map
Animal
Behavior
includes patterns of
Behavioral
cycles
Social
behavior
response to
natural cycles
Seasonal
Daily
example
example
interactions with
others through
Building
homes
Courtship
Migration
Circadian
rhythms
Competition
and Aggression
for natural
resources
Protection
Hunting
Communication
Fighting
rivals
Claim/
protect
territory
depends
on sense
Chemical
signals
Visual
signals
Language
Sound
A. Behavioral Cycles

Response to periodic changes in the
environment, natural cycles
 Warm
seasons, cold seasons
 Sunlight, darkness

May be daily or seasonally
Seasonal and Daily Cycles
1. Seasonal
a. Dormancy: allows animal to survive periods
of limited food and resources.

ex. Hibernation, aestivation
b. Migrations: periodic movement from one
place to another
2. Daily
a. Circadian Rhythms: daily behavioral
patterns.
Light and dark patterns ex. Sleep patterns, food
eating
 Disruptions: Jet Lag

B. Social Behavior
Interactions with others of the same species
through
 Courtship
 Building
homes

Hunting
 Protection
 Fighting rivals


Social Behaviors in animal societies that help
relatives survive and reproduce improves an
individuals evolutionary fitness
Studies done by Jane Goodall on Chimps
Jane Goodall
1. Courtship
a. To pass along its genes to the next
generation, any animal that reproduces
sexually needs to locate and mate with
another member of its species at least
once.
b. Courtship behavior is a method to help
animals identify healthy mates and ensure
reproductive success.
2. Courtship Stimuli
a. Sounds
b. Visual displays
c. Chemical signals
d. Elaborate Rituals
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/02/animalcourting/
3. Competition and Aggression
a. Prevent others from using resources
b. Such as food, water, nesting sites, shelter,
and potential mates
c. Territory: area that is occupied and
protected by an animal or group of
animals.
d. Fiercely protected from rivals
4. Competition and Aggression
a. Competition for food and territory may be
witnessed when an organism tries to claim
limited resources.
b. Aggression: a threatening behavior that
one animal uses to gain control over
another.
 Pride
of lions, giraffes, etc.
5. Communication

Communication: the passing of
information from one organism to another.
 Visual
 Sound
 Touch
 Chemical
signals
a. Visual Signals
Usually used with
organisms that
have good
eyesight
 Display bright
colors or patterns
 Ex. Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish and Angry Cuttlefish
b. Chemical Signals

Usually used in animals with a good sense
of smell
 Insects,
fishes, mammals
Pheromones: chemical messengers that
affect the behavior of other individuals of
the same species.
 Used to mark territory or signal readiness
to mate

c. Sound Signals

Usually used with
animals with strong
vocal abilities
 Crickets,
toads,
birds, whales

Many have evolved
elaborate
communication
systems
Frog croak
crickets
Frogs at night
d. Language
Language: combines sounds, symbols,
gestures according to sets of rules about
word order and meaning such as grammar
and syntax.
 Most complex means of communication
 Only seen in humans as an innate form of
communication
 Can be learned in Dolphins, Gorillas, etc.

Gorilla knows sign language
http://www.koko.org/world/signlanguage.html