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28 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
Ethology
Science of animal behavior in its natural habitat
Behavioral ecology
Focuses on individual behavior that maximizes reproductive and evolutionary success
studies mate choice, foraging, parental investment
sign stimulus
If the animal responded to just one specific aspect of the stimulus that triggered a certain innate behavior
Innate behaviors
are inherited (innate),invariable, predictable, i.e. stereotyped behaviors
Instinctive behaviors
are dependent on interactions between an organism and its environment
Programmed behavior
Is important for survival, especially when animals receive little or no parental care
Learning
Modification of behavior through experience
habituation
- It soon ignores the stimulus
- Repeated stimulations diminished release of neurotransmittersfrom sensory neurons
Imprinting
Imposes a stable behavior in a young animal by exposure to particular stimuli during a critical period in development
social behavior
Any response of one animal to another animalof the same species
Social organization-
- benefits in cooperation in hunting for food
huddling for mutual protection from severe weather,
opportunities for division of labor
Creates the potential for learning and transmitting useful information through the society
Disadvantages of social living
Camouflaged individuals survive predators by being dispersed
Large predators need large amounts of food
The ecological situation determines if a solitary or social strategy is better
In socially coordinated behavior
Individual adjusts its actions to presence of others to increase its own reproductive success directly
In cooperative behavior
Individual performs activities that benefit others because such behavior ultimately benefits the individual’s genetic contribution to future generations
Aggression
an offensive physical action, or threat, to force others to abandon something
Agonistic behaviors
a broader category including any activity related to fighting
Ritualized display
is a behavior that has been modified through evolution to make it effective in serving a communicative function
Territory
Fixed area whose occupant exclude intruders of the same species and sometimes other species
Monogamy
association between one male and one female at a time
Polygamy
that incorporates all male and female systems with more than one mate
Polygyny
indicates that one male mates with more than one female
Polyandry
indicates that one female mates with more than one male
Altruism
The act sacrificing ones needs or life for the benefit of another
Group-selection theory
Suggests that animals that helped others “for the good of the species” helped the group survive, and selection was therefore at the group level

Group selection does not explain altruism
kin selection
Fitness is not just measured by an animal’s own offspring, but the increase or decrease in genes shared in the gene pool
Signals
Through communication, one animal can influence the behavior of another
display
behavior that serves a communicative purpose
Animal Cognition
General term for mental function, including perception, reasoning, and memory