Download Animal Behavior 09

Animal Behavior
Behavior is the way
an organism reacts to
changes in its internal
condition or external
environment.
A stimulus is any kind
of signal that carries
information & can be
detected. Examples of
stimuli include hunger,
phone ringing, alarm
clocks.
Your reaction to this
stimulus is called a
response. Many
organ systems can
combine to provide a
response.
Behaviors can be
inherited or learned.
Those that are inherited
typically increase the
survival of that organism.
The fight, flight, or fright
behaviors are examples
of inherited behaviors.
Innate behaviors
appear in fully
functional form the
first time they are
performed even with
no prior experience.
An example of this is
a baby nursing.
Many animals show
Fixed Action
Patterns – behavioral
sequences triggered
by specific stimuli.
Types of Behaviors
1) Competitive – agonistic & dominance
hierarchies, territorial
2)Foraging – finding/eating food
3) Migratory
4) Biological rhythms – circadian rhythms
5) Communication
6) Courting/Nurturing
7) Cooperative – altruistic & kin selection
(family members help out relatives)
Learned behaviors
are acquired. There
are 4 types of these:
1) Habituationsimplest type – the
animal decreases or
stops behavior in
response to a
repetitive stimulus –
loss of response to a
stimulus - Chicken
Little’s friends, Boy
Who Cried Wolf
2) Classical conditioning - making a mental
connection between a stimulus & reward or
punishment – Pavlov’s dog
3) Operant
conditioning repeated practice –
receives a reward or
avoids punishment –
used for training- trial
& error learning – B.
F. Skinner
4) Insight learning - most complicated form –
applying old information to a new setting
Imprinting is learning
based on early
experience. Once it
has occurred, the
behavior cannot be
changed. This is
often seen in birds
who follow the first
moving object they
see & in singing or
salmon who can
remember the odor of
the stream where
they were born.
Imprinting involves
both innate &
learned behavior.
They must learn what
object to follow. This
process involves
scent & sight.
Patterns of Behavior
Animals respond to
seasons & to daily
changes. Some
animals hibernate in
the winter or estivate
in the summer. This
allows them to
become dormant
when conditions may
be harsh.
Migration is the
periodic movement
from 1 place to
another. Species that
do this include
butterflies, birds,
whales, & sea
turtles. Migration
helps animals to have
more plentiful food
supplies & to escape
predators more
easily.
Animal Migration
Spatial learning – use of landmarks to
learn the layout of the environment
Animals use cues such as physical
boundaries (whales), chemistry (salmon),
magnetism (whales & birds), & stars
(birds).
Homing is the ability
of an animal to return
to its original nest
site, burrow, or
migratory grounds.
This is done through
2 main types of
navigation methods.
Circadian rhythms occur in daily cycles. It may
involve sleep patterns or patterns of activity &
rest.
Courtship behaviors
help animals find
healthy mates. An
animal sends out
visual, sound, or
chemical signals to
attract a mate.
Social behavior is often
used to help the survival of
that species & to make the
organisms more efficient.
Often, there is a division-oflabor setup & most, if not
all, of the organisms are
related to one another.
Therefore, by sticking
together, it increases the
chances that those genes
of the individual (which are
also in the collective group)
go on to future generations.
Examples of social
animals include
primates, bees, &
wolves.
Many animals have a specific area they
occupy called their territory & will
sometimes violently defend this area.
These areas contain resources, habitats,
& mates. Competition may result if
another animal invades this territory &
displays of aggression are often common.
Animals can communicate through visual,
sound, touch, or chemical signals.
An example of a visual signal is the
peacock’s tail.
An example of a chemical signal is the
use of pheromones.
An example of a sound signal is a dog
barking.
An example of a language signal is
dolphin chatter.