Vce Unit 2 Biology: Nature Of Biology Chapter 11 Glossary

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Aggression behaviour

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Any action designed for self-defence, to establish position in a hierarchy, or for defence of territory a

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biological clock

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internal timing mechanism in plants and animals

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caste system

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formation of specialised groups to carry outdifferent functions in an animal society

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circadian rhythm

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refers to a pattern of activity following a24-hour cycle

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classical conditioning

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type of learned behaviour in which an animalforms an association between two stimuli, one significant and oneinsignificant, so that the response normally associated with the significantstimulus occurs when only the insignificant stimulus is presented

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communication

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transmission of information between organismsngua

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competition

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interaction between individuals of the same ordifferent species that use one or more of the same resources in the sameecosystem

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cooperate

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refers to combined action of a group oforganisms to achieve an outcome different from that achieved by an individual

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day-neutral plants

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plants that flower regardless of the length ofday

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echolocation

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technique in which animals emit sounds anddetect the presence of objects by the echoes produced as the sound is reflected

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ethology

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study of animal behaviour

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geotropism

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response of a shoot or root to gravitybid

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habituation

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type of learned behaviour in which the responseto a repeated stimulus gradually decreases

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heliotropism

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also called solar tracking; ability of someplants to move so that they remain either perpendicular or parallel to thesun’s rays throughout the day

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imprinting

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form of rapid and irreversible learningoccurring during the early stage of an animal’s life

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innate or inborn behaviour

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behaviour that is essentially the same in allmembers of a species and which can occur without an individual having had priorexperience of the behaviour; previously known as instinctive

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insight learning

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type of learned behaviour in which an animalapplies previous experience to the solution of a new problembody

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learned behaviours

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behaviours that develop or change as a result ofexperience

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long-day plants

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plants that flower when day-length increases(night-length shortens) to a particular critical point, generally in latespring or early summer

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migration

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refers to the predictable movements of organismsover large distances, which may occur once in the lifetime of an organism (e.g.eels) or yearly (e.g. muttonbirds)

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nastic movement

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plant movement in which direction of movement isindependent of direction of stimulus causing the movement

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operant conditioning

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form of trial-and-error learning

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pecking order

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hierarchy within an animal group that reflectsdifferent ranks

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pheromones

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chemicals secreted by some animals tocommunicate with other members of the species; chemical messengers

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photoperiod

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refers to the relative lengths of day and nightin a 24-hour period

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photoperiodism

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response of plants to particular periods oflight and dark in terms of flowering or germination of seeds

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phototropism

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movement of a plant in response to light

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play behaviour

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patterns of behaviour in young animals thatappear to provide practice of behaviours that are seen in adults

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rhythmic behaviours

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behaviours that are repeated at regularintervals, such as feeding or sleeping behaviours

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short-day plants

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plant that flowers when day-length shortens(night lengthens) to a particular critical point, generally in late summer,autumn or winter

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social hierarchy

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the different ranks of importance or dominancewithin an animal group

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social interactions

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interactions that involve two or more individuals and may involve cooperation, as in mating, or conflict as in defending a territory or competing for a mate

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solar tracking

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also called heliotropism; ability of some plantsto move so that they remain either perpendicular or parallel to the sun’s raysthroughout the day

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territorial behaviour

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behaviour associated with defending an areaagainst other individuals, usually of the same species

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thigmotropism

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a plant response to contact with a solid object

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tropism

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a directional growth response of a plant to anenvironmental stimulus