Bio Lab 1011L Endocrine System & Animal Behavior

Front 1

Define Ethology

Back 1

the study of animal behavior, examines how animals respond to environment (e.g. seasonal changes) and/or social (e.g. the presence of a potential mate, predator or prey) stimulate in their surroundings.

Front 2

By changing their ____, animals adapt to changes in their ____.

Back 2

behavior:
environment

Front 3

what do male red-winged blackbirds do in the presence of females?

Back 3

sing songs to which interested females adopt a pre-copulatory position showing their willingness to mate.

Front 4

how are breeding behaviors (i.e. male singing, female receptivity) introduced?

Back 4

by seasonal changes such as increasing day lengths and warmer temperatures

Front 5

from what two perspectives can behavior be considered?

Back 5

ultimate and proximate

Front 6

How do researches examine the ultimate perspective of behavior?

Back 6

researchers examine why a certain behavior is used and how it evolved.

Ultimate explanations of behavior examine the historical pathways that led to the evolution of a specific trait and the selective processes that have shaped it.

Front 7

How do researches examine the proximate perspective of behavior?

Back 7

researches try to undesrtand how a particular behavior is produced and controlled.

Scientist examining proximate causes of behavior are interested in the genetic, developmental and sensory-motor mechanism that regulate behavior.

Front 8

In the case of the red winged blackbirds example give a proximate and ultimate explanation of behavior

Back 8

-proximate explanation of the induction of breeding behavior might be that enviormental changes stimulate production of hormones that stimulate growth of the brain regions responsible for song production and regulation

an ultimate explanation for why males sing might be to compete with other males for females, while females use song to assess male quality as potential mates. (thus males that produce the best, most attractive songs, left the most offspring, leading to the evolution of singing behavior in male blackbirds.

Front 9

what are the chemical messenger that are produced by the endocrine glands and the brain.

Back 9

hormones

Front 10

what role by hormones play in an organism

Back 10

they play a role in virtually every behavior of an organism, affecting appetite, memory and energy levels as well as triggering sexual maturation, sex drive, affiliation and aggressive behaviors.

Front 11

Hormones exert their effects thorugh multiple mechanisms by influencing
1_
2_
3_

Back 11

1)growth of target cells
2)growth and development of neurons in the brain
3) the rate of cellular function leading to a genomic response that activates or deactivates the genes involved in the regulation of protein synthesis

Front 12

like neurotransmitters, hormones coordinate an animal's activities, but can ....

Back 12

operate over greater distances and temporal ranges.

Front 13

describe the relationship between hormones and behavior

Back 13

bidirectional, i.e., hormones alter behavior and the generated behavior influences the effects of hormones