Animal Behavior Exam 1

Front 1

the scientific method steps

Back 1

1. start with a question
2. come up with a working hypothesis
3. use hypothesis to come up with testable prediction
4. collect data about the prediction
5. if results don't math, reject the hypothesis. otherwise, tentatively accept hypothesis and continue testing

Front 2

mechanisms

Back 2

immediate triggers of behavior
internal or external

Front 3

ontogeny

Back 3

development

Front 4

selective advantage

Back 4

function

Front 5

phylogeny

Back 5

evolutionary history

Front 6

proximate levels of analysis

Back 6

mechanisms and ontogeny

Front 7

ultimate levels of analysis

Back 7

selective advantage and phylogeny

Front 8

biological evolution

Back 8

change in gene frequencies (allele) over time

Front 9

natural selection and it's 3 key components

Back 9

the process whereby some organisms in a species have certain inherited variations that give them an advantage over others

1. variation
2. heritability
3. differential survival and reproduction

Front 10

heritability

Back 10

offspring on average resemble their parents more than other individuals

ranges from 0 to 1.0

Front 11

differential success

Back 11

some individuals leave more offspring to the next generation than others do, due to competition for resources, shelter, mates, and avoiding predators

Front 12

fitness

Back 12

# of offspring surviving an individual has which survive to reproductive maturity during its lifetime

Front 13

mechanisms of evolution

Back 13

1. natural selection
2. genetic drift
3. founder effect
4. migration

Front 14

disruptive selection

Back 14

selection favors small and large individuals

Front 15

stabilizing selection

Back 15

selection for midsized individuals

Front 16

directional selection

Back 16

selection for larger individuals

Front 17

sources of variation

Back 17

1. mutation is original source
2. recombination makes new variation
3. immigration

Front 18

frequency dependent selection

Back 18

fitness of a given genotype depends on its frequency in a population

allele (and its phenotype) have selective advantage when they are rare. as their frequency increases the advantage decreases. then alternative allele becomes "rare"

Front 19

frequency dependent predation

Back 19

selection of overabundant prey type

"search image"

Front 20

frequency dependent reproduction

Back 20

"rare male advantage"

two spot lady bugs

Front 21

negative assortment mating

Back 21

opposites attract

MHC and mice
MHC (HLA) and humans
different immune systems

Front 22

environmental variation

Back 22

funnel spiders

spiders with more predators stay in their tunnels more

Front 23

convergent evolution

Back 23

distantly related animals evolve to become similar to each othera

Front 24

adaptation

Back 24

a characteristic that confers higher fitness to individuals than do the alternatives

a trait that is spreading, has spread, or is being maintained by natural selection

Front 25

adaptive value

Back 25

the contribution that a trait makes to fitness (higher reproductive success)

Front 26

adaptationist

Back 26

one who tests adaptive hypotheses about traits. does the trait increase fitness?

Front 27

black-headed gull mobbing behavior hypothesis

Back 27

mobbing is adaptive because it increases chance of egg survival

Front 28

ground to cliff nesting is an example of what...

Back 28

divergent evolution due to a change in predation pressure

Front 29

convergent evolution

Back 29

distinct ancestry sharing same behavior

Front 30

comparative method

Back 30

use evolutionary transitions
relate behavior of interest to other transitions
identify selective pressures that favored that trait

Front 31

altruism

Back 31

when one individual (donor) loses fitness as the result of helping another individual (recipient) gain fitness

Front 32

the explanations for altruism

Back 32

1. group selection
2. reciprocal altruism
3. kin selection

Front 33

group selection

Back 33

natural selection which has the group as the unit of the selection, so if a trait in an individual benefits the group- it will be favored

Front 34

levels of selection in order

Back 34

genes--individual--group--species

Front 35

problems with group selection and altruism

Back 35

altruism for group benefit is not stable--cheaters will usually do better

Front 36

game theory

Back 36

model interactions in which the benefits of different behaviors depend on the actions of others

look for evolutionary stable strategies

prisoner's dilemma

Front 37

evolutionary stable strategy

Back 37

a strategy which, if adopted by all members of a population, cannot be invaded by an alternative

Front 38

prisoner's dilemma

Back 38

cooperation is at the price of the individual

group selection- both stay quiet is best for group
individual- defecting

argues against group selection as a form of altruism

Front 39

reciprocal altruism

Back 39

helping another in expectation that the favor will be repaid

cheating is possible but anticipate punishment

if benefit to the recipient>cost to the donor, both will gain if the help is reciprocated at a later date

HAS TO BE COST TO THE DONOR

Front 40

example of reciprocal altruism

Back 40

vampire bats regurgitate blood

Front 41

reciprocity

Back 41

there is a delay between recipients benefit and actors benefit

Front 42

mutualism

Back 42

actor and recipient benefit immediately

Front 43

satellite strategy in crickets

Back 43

males without sound (flat-winged) use other males for reproductive success by taking advantage of other males' calls, who then get eaten by parasites

Front 44

kin selection

Back 44

altruism towards relatives

Front 45

inclusive fitness

Back 45

net offspring production plus sum of all relatives offspring corrected for r (coefficient of relatedness: probability that 2 individuals will share copies of a particular allele that is identical through direct descent)

fitness achieved by helping kin survive

Front 46

hamilton's rule:

Back 46

be altruistic if r*B>C

B is the benefit to the recipient, range from 0 (no benefit) to 1 (life saving benefit)

C is cost to the actor from 0 to 1

Front 47

problems with measuring inclusive fitness

Back 47

although coefficient of relatedness is easy to determine, B and C are difficult to measure

Front 48

kin recognition

Back 48

environmental and social factors determine the timing, form, and limits of kin recognition

Front 49

learned mechanisms of kin recognition

Back 49

location (nest, territory)
olfactory, auditory, visual cues
prolonged social contact

Front 50

genetic mechanism of kin recognition

Back 50

phenotypic matching

Front 51

example of olfactory kin recognition

Back 51

paper wasps learn nest odor

belding's ground squirrels learn to recognize their own odor

Front 52

imprinting

Back 52

a strong association learned during a specific developmental period ("critical period")

Front 53

learning

Back 53

a permanent change or modification of behavior as a result of experience

Front 54

habituation

Back 54

decline in response to a harmless repeated stimulus. not due to fatigue or sensory adaptation. it acts as a filter so animal doesn't waste energy on irrelevant stimulus. it is adaptive

Front 55

classical conditioning

Back 55

unconditioned stimulus elicits unconditioned response

unconditioned stimulus is paired with a conditioned stimulus, and after repeated pairings, the conditioned stimulus starts to elicit a response, the conditioned response

Front 56

operant conditioning

Back 56

behavior first, then stimulus (reward, punishment)

trial and error
performance improves

Front 57

behavioral development in bees

(example of gene-environment interaction)

Back 57

genes- influence activity (high, moderate low)

genes are turned on by queen's mandibular hormone, pheremones produced by workers, and juvenile hormones

high-->foragers
low-->nursers

Front 58

instinct

Back 58

far to the genetic end of spectrum
appears in its entirety the first time its displayed--no prior experience

Front 59

instinct example: fixed action patterns

Back 59

stereotyped and often complex series of movements, responses to specific stimuli. programmed response to a stimulus

chicks know they have to peck at mom's beaks

Front 60

how to determine if behavioral differences are shaped by genetic differences?

Back 60

1. study wild populations under the same environment (lab)--snakes and banana slugs

2. artificial selection- mice gathering cotton, dogs and response to human cues

3. create hybrids- intermediate genotype

4. knock-ins- insert genes

5. knock-outs- eliminate a gene

6. twin studies- reared together and apart

7. assay genetic activity

Front 61

vassopressin receptor

Back 61

increases bonding

Front 62

fosB

Back 62

pup gathering

Front 63

oxytocin

Back 63

no longer recognize females they've already mated with. will mate with anyone

Front 64

polyphenisms

Back 64

food-induced
socially induced
predator induced

cannibalistic tadpoles based on number of other tadpoles in tank

Front 65

the most proximate cause of behavior

Back 65

neural control

-perception
-info processing
-motor

Front 66

deception

Back 66

because many animals rely on simple stimuli, they can be fooled

Front 67

why regulate behavior?

Back 67

behaviors are more beneficial at certain times

Front 68

prioritization in action

Back 68

crickets and predators. respond to predators by not moving their wings. have predators during the day

Front 69

circadian rhythms maintained by

Back 69

internal and external cues

Front 70

internal clock (circadian)

Back 70

SCN in hypothalamus- pacemaker
per gene encodes for PER protein
tau encodes for CKle protein, which breaks down PER

TIM binds to PER protein and makes it less susceptible to getting broken down by TAU

Front 71

adaptive value of the 2-tier organizational system of circadian rhythm

Back 71

internal clock allows individuals to alter behavior without having to constantly monitor to environment

external clock allows individuals to adjust to local variation

Front 72

external influences on cycles

Back 72

ecological variables (sun, food, rain, temperature, day length,)

social variables

combinations

Front 73

regulation of behavior (cycles)

Back 73

1. prioritization of behavior- immediate vs distant benefit

2. circadian rhythm
3. circannual rhythm

Front 74

hormones produced by...

Back 74

endocrine glands-

pituitary
gonadal
adrenal

Front 75

neural vs hormonal communication

Back 75

neural- fast, train-like

hormonal- longer-term, car-like, has to break down in blood system

Front 76

hormones mediate...

Back 76

longer-term processes

reproduction, growth, development, respond to ecological and social stimulu

Front 77

activational effect

Back 77

exposure---then effect, shorter

Front 78

regulation of behavior (cycles)

Back 78

1. prioritization of behavior- immediate vs distant benefit

2. circadian rhythm
3. circannual rhythm

Front 79

organizational effect

Back 79

exposure, then a critical period, and then the effect, which is longer

Front 80

hormones produced by...

Back 80

endocrine glands-

pituitary
gonadal
adrenal

Front 81

neural vs hormonal communication

Back 81

neural- fast, train-like

hormonal- longer-term, car-like, has to break down in blood system

Front 82

testosterone

Back 82

male secondary sexual characteristics
sperm production
aggression/competition
mating

fluctuates seasonally breeding species

Front 83

costs of testosterone

Back 83

-energetic costs: muscle tissue, maintaining behaviors, metabolic costs of male ornaments

-risks of injury

-immune system: disease, parasite load

-decreased parental investment

Front 84

hormones mediate...

Back 84

longer-term processes

reproduction, growth, development, respond to ecological and social stimulu

Front 85

activational effect

Back 85

exposure---then effect, shorter

Front 86

prolactin

Back 86

secreted by pituitary
general functions: females- lactation, males-paternal care

Front 87

organizational effect

Back 87

exposure, then a critical period, and then the effect, which is longer

Front 88

glucocorticoids

Back 88

corisol- stress, ulcers, reduced immunity, weigh loss

Front 89

testosterone

Back 89

male secondary sexual characteristics
sperm production
aggression/competition
mating

fluctuates seasonally breeding species

Front 90

costs of testosterone

Back 90

-energetic costs: muscle tissue, maintaining behaviors, metabolic costs of male ornaments

-risks of injury

-immune system: disease, parasite load

-decreased parental investment

Front 91

prolactin

Back 91

secreted by pituitary
general functions: females- lactation, males-paternal care

Front 92

glucocorticoids

Back 92

corisol- stress, ulcers, reduced immunity, weigh loss

Front 93

coevolution

Back 93

when animals are locked in life or death struggles, they are both exerting strong selection pressure on each other

impala evolves to be faster, cheetah will evolve too to keep up

Front 94

toxins and noxious agents

Back 94

make yourself taste bad to deter predators

aposomatic coloration- warning colors

Front 95

mullerian mimicry

Back 95

poisonous animals resemble each other, benefit from shared warning

Front 96

batesian mimicry

Back 96

deception- nonpoisonous animal resembles a poisonous unpalatable animal

batesian mimcs must be rarer than the poisonous animal

Front 97

attack deterrent

Back 97

honest signals of strength (unprofitability)

"don't bother"
stotting gazelles
push-up lizards

Front 98

crypsis

Back 98

avoiding detection

-being nocturnal
-sitting still
-habitat selection
-transparency
-camouflage
-changing color
-used by predators and prey

Front 99

group living benefits

Back 99

-predator detection
-dilution effect
-confusion effect
-mobbing

Front 100

dilution effect-

Back 100

predators usually feed at limited rates

by coming together in large groups, can saturate predators and many prey survive

benefit has to outweigh the cost of easier detection

Front 101

confusion effect

Back 101

predator has difficulty tracking a single prey among the chaos--stimulus interference

predator success rate lower

Front 102

odd prey effect

Back 102

unusual looking prey in a group more likely to be captured

Front 103

mobbing

Back 103

group attack on predators

effective deterrent

can be costly

Front 104

optimality theory

Back 104

often applied to foraging

cost and benefit are measured (in terms of calories gained and expended)

Front 105

game theory- social living

Back 105

solitary-solitary: P=fitness as solitary individual

solitary-social: P-B(benefit gained by being social) (someone else uses you to hide- their gain is your loss)

social-solitary= P+B (you gain by hiding behind them)
C=cost of finding individual to hide behind, cost of general conspicuousness

social-social= P+B/2-B/2-C

Front 106

herbivores

Back 106

low quality food foraging, easy to obtain
adaptations for processing and digesting
low risk, low reward, lots of time spent feeding

Front 107

carnivores

Back 107

high quality, difficult to find
adaptations for locating and capturing food
high risk, high reward
lots of time spent finding food

Front 108

generalist

Back 108

can feed on many different food items
not necessarily adapted to eating any specific food

Front 109

specialist

Back 109

focus on one or very few food items
good competitor for that food

Front 110

optimal foraging theory

Back 110

maximize energy intake per unit time

-prey models
-patch models

Front 111

prey models

Back 111

consider how an organism should behave when there are different types of prey available

Front 112

optimal foraging theory

Back 112

seeks to provide mathematical models that describe underlying problems of resource acquisition

organisms must not simply maximize energetic gains (calories) but rather the rate of energy gain per unit time

Front 113

patch models

Back 113

consider how an organism should feed when resources are located in discrete clumps

Front 114

marginal value theorem

Back 114

food intake within a patch decreases over time.
there is a cost of leaving the patch
should stay in the patch until rate of intake in that patch equals rate of intake across all patches (accounting for travel time)

Front 115

general constraint of risk

Back 115

which strategy should be favored--risk proneness or risk aversion

Front 116

producer-scrounger game

Back 116

scroungers are usually able to steal food from producers. results in frequency dependent selection

Front 117

conditional strategy

Back 117

an individual can flexibly adopt different strategies during its lifespan

Front 118

group living and finding food: locating food

Back 118

groups as info centers (passive communication)
other individuals will follow if another comes back with prey