Biology Of Organisms Chapter 51 Vocabulary

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Behavior

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Individually, an action carried out by muscles or glands under control of the nervous system in response to a stimulus; collectively, the sum of an animal’s responses to external and internal stimuli.

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Behavioral ecology

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The study of the evolution of and ecological basis for animal behavior.

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Fixed action pattern

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In animal behavior, a sequence of unlearned acts that is essentially unchangeable and, once initiated, usually carried to completion.

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Sign stimulus

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An external sensory cue that triggers a fixed action pattern by an animal.

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Migration

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A regular, long-distance change in location.

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Signal

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In animal behavior, transmission of a stimulus from one animal to another. The term is also used in the context of communication in other kinds of organisms and in cell-to-cell communication in all multicellular organisms.

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Communication

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In animal behavior, a process involving transmission of, reception of, and response to signals. The term is also used in connection with other organisms, as well as individual cells of multicellular organisms.

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Pheromones

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In animals and fungi, a small molecule released into the environ- ment that functions in communication between members of the same species. In animals, it acts much like a hormone in influencing physiology and behavior.

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Innate behavior

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Animal behavior that is devel- opmentally fixed and under strong genetic control. Innate behavior is exhibited in virtually the same form by all individuals in
a population despite internal and external environmental differences during development and throughout their lifetimes.

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Cross-fostering study

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A behavioral study in which the young of one species are placed in the care of adults from another species.

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Twin study

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A behavioral study in which re- searchers compare the behavior of identical twins raised apart with that of identical twins raised in the same household.

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Learning

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The modification of behavior based on specific experiences.

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Imprinting

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In animal behavior, the formation at a specific stage in life of a long-lasting behavioral response to a specific individual or object. See also genomic imprinting.

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Sensitive period

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A limited phase in an animal’s development when learning of particular behaviors can take place; also called a
critical period.

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Spatial learning

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The establishment of a memory that reflects the environment’s spatial structure.

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Cognitive map

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A neural representation of the abstract spatial relationships between objects in an animal’s surroundings.

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Associative learning

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The acquired ability to as- sociate one environmental feature (such as a color) with another (such as danger).

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Cognition

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The process of knowing that may in- clude awareness, reasoning, recollection, and judgment.

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Problem solving

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The cognitive activity of devis- ing a method to proceed from one state to an- other in the face of real or apparent obstacles.

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Social learning

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Modification of behavior through the observation of other individuals.

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Culture

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A system of information transfer through social learning or teaching that influences the behavior of individuals in a population.

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Foraging

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The seeking and obtaining of food.

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Optimal foraging model

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The basis for analyz- ing behavior as a compromise between feeding costs and feeding benefits.

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Promiscuous

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Referring to a type of relationship in which mating occurs with no strong pair- bonds or lasting relationships.

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Monogamous

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Referring to a type of relationship in which one male mates with just one female.

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Polygamous

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Referring to a type of relationship in which an individual of one sex mates with several of the other.

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Mate-choice copying

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Behavior in which indi- viduals in a population copy the mate choice of others, apparently as a result of social learning.

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Game theory

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An approach to evaluating alterna- tive strategies in situations where the outcome of a particular strategy depends on the strategies used by other individuals.

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Altruism

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Selflessness; behavior that reduces an individual’s fitness while increasing the fitness of another individual.

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Inclusive fitness

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The total effect an individual has on proliferating its genes by producing its own offspring and by providing aid that enables other close relatives to increase production of their offspring.

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Coefficient of relatedness

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The fraction of genes that, on average, are shared by two individuals.

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Hamilton’s rule

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The principle that for natural selection to favor an altruistic act, the benefit
to the recipient, devalued by the coefficient of relatedness, must exceed the cost to the altruist.

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Kin selection

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Natural selection that favors altruistic behavior by enhancing the
reproductive success of relatives.

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Reciprocal altruism

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Altruistic behavior between unrelated individuals, whereby the altruistic individual benefits in the future when the beneficiary reciprocates.

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Sociobiology

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The study of social behavior based on evolutionary theory.