Chapter 51: Ethology

fixed action pattern

A _____ _____ _______ is a sequence of unlearned, innate behaviours that is unchangeable Once initiated, it is usually carried to completion (preprogrammed response to a stimulus)

sensitive period

A ______ ______ is a limited developmental phase that is the only time when certain behaviours can be learned

cross-fostering study

A _______________ _______ places the young from one species in the care of adults from another species

Innate behaviour

A behaviour that an animal is capable of from birth without any learning or practice. Such behaviours appear to be very inflexible in their operation although they may often be slightly modified in individuals by some elements of learning

sign stimulus

A fixed action pattern is triggered by an external cue known as a _____ ________

Niko Tinbergen

According to the ethologist ____ _________, four questions should be asked about behaviour

associative learning

In __________ ________, animals associate one feature of their environment with another For example, a white-footed mouse will avoid eating caterpillars with specific colours after a bad experience with a distasteful monarch butterfly caterpillar

signal

In behavioural ecology, a ______ is a behaviour that causes a change in another animal's behaviour

red

In male stickleback fish, the stimulus for attack behaviour is the ______ underside of an intruder When presented with unrealistic models, as long as some red is present, the attack behaviour occurs

Environmental stimuli that trigger a behaviour Genetic, physiological, and anatomical mechanisms underlying a behaviour

Proximate causation, or "how" explanations, focus on:

Evolutionary significance of a behaviour

Ultimate causation, or "why" explanations, focus on:

alarm substance

When a minnow or catfish is injured, an ________ ________ in the fish's skin disperses in the water, inducing a fright response among fish in the area

Social learning

______ ________ is learning through the observation of others and forms the roots of culture

Problem solving

________ ________ is the process of devising a strategy to overcome an obstacle For example, chimpanzees can stack boxes in order to reach suspended food

Cognition

________ is a process of knowing that may include awareness, reasoning, recollection, and judgment

Migration

________ is a regular, long-distance change in location

Culture

________ is a system of information transfer through observation or teaching that influences behavior of individuals in a population

Ethology

________ is the scientific study of animal behaviour, particularly in natural environments.

Spatial learning

_________ ________ is a more complex modification of behaviour based on experience with the spatial structure of the environment The modification of behavior based on experience with the spatial structure of the environment.

Behavioural ecology

_________ ________ is the study of the ecological and evolutionary basis for animal behaviour It integrates proximate and ultimate explanations for animal behaviour

Imprinting

__________ is a behaviour that includes learning and innate components and is generally irreversible A usually irreversible type of learning limited to a specific time period in an animal's life.

Communication

_____________ is the transmission and reception of signals it is often adaptive for the sender and maladaptive for the receiver

siblicide

killing your siblings as a way to gain access to all of your parents resources

they are infanticidal if the cubs are not there own

male lions relationship with cubs?

behaviour

the nervous system's response to a stimulus and is carried out by the muscular or the hormonal system it is subject to natural selection

an example of imprinting

Konrad Lorenz showed that when baby geese spent the first few hours of their life with him, they ________ on him as their parent

pheromones

Many animals that communicate through odours that emit chemical substances called __________

brood size Fighting continues if three chicks are present Fighting stops if only two chicks are present

what is the proximate cause of siblicide in egrets

food shortage There is often not enough food for three chicks to survive to independence There is almost always enough food for two chicks

what is the ultimate cause of siblicide in egrets

The position of the sun The position of the North Star The Earth's magnetic field Polarized light Olfactory cues (smell)

Animals can orient themselves using: (5)

1. What stimulus elicits the behavior, and what physiological mechanisms mediate the response? 2. How does the animal's experience during growth and development influence the response mechanisms? 3. How does the behaviour aid survival and reproduction? 4. What is the behaviour's evolutionary history?

Tinbergen's four questions: