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Science Dept.

Biology BIO 100
Animal Behavior

  1. Behavior Helps the Organism to Survive and Adapt to its Environment

  2. Some Thoughts on the Subject

    1. Occam's Razor: Simplest Explanation ("What can be done with fewer assumptions is done in vain with more" 14 th Century English Philosopher William of Occam)

    2. Morgan's Canon: Rules Out Conscious Thought, Deliberate Decision or Foresight

  3. Simple Types of Behavior

    1. Tropism: A Type of Movement in Vascular Plants

      1. Bend Towards Light
      2. Touch Sensitive Mimosa

    2. Taxis, Taxes: Oriented Movement of an Entire Organism

      1. Grayling Butterfly
      2. Planaria

    3. Kinesis, Kineses

      1. Congregation of Paramecium Near a CO2 Bubble

    4. Reflexes

      1. Autonomic Response to Stimuli, for Example Blinking of an Eye

  4. Complex Species Behavior = Ethology

    1. Stereotyped Behavior = "Instinctive"

  5. Inheritance and Learning / Nature Vs Nurture

    1. Some Difficulties

      1. Experence, Maturity, or a Different Physiological Condition May Play a Role

      2. A Product of the Experimental Situation Used

      3. Sensitive Phase

      4. Latent Learning

      5. Comparisons Between Species May Be Ill-founded

  6. Types of Learning

    1. Habituation: a Gradual Decline in Response to "Insignificant" Stimuli without any Repeated Reinforcement

    2. Classical Conditioning or Associative Learning: Assocation of a Response with a Stimulus, for Example, Pavlov's Experiment

    3. Trial and Error Learning or Operant Conditioning: If an Animal Does something and the Results Are Rewarding, It May Do the Same Thing Again

    4. Imprinting: A Strong Assocation with Another Organism or Object During a Short Sensitive Phase

    5. Insight Learning or Reasoning": The Ability to Respond Correctly the First Time to a Situation Different from any Previously Encountered.
      Beware of "Generalization" - the Ability of an Animal Conditioned to One Stimulus to Respond in the Same Way to Other Similar Stimuli

  7. Motivation: Internal State that Is the Immediate Cause of the Behavior

  8. Sign Stimuli

    1. Releasers: Especially Potent in Triggering Behavioral Responses

      1. Spot on Gull's Bill

      2. Red-Coloring of the Stickleback

    2. Supernormal Stimuli: More Effective than the Normal One

  9. Ethology Researchers - 1973 Nobel Prize Winners

    1. Dr. Lorenz with Doctorates in Medicine, Zoology and Psychology, Won the Prize for His Study of Imprinting

    2. Karl von Frisch Won the Prize for His Study of the Bee Dance

    3. Nikolaas Tinbergen Won the Prize for His Study of Stickleback Behavior

  10. Complex Species Behavior

    1. "Sterotyped" Behavior

  11. Sequential Behavior Patterns

    1. Series of Stimuli/Responses Can Result in a Complex Behavior Pattern

    2. The Stickleback Example

      1. The Red Male Defends His Territory and Chases Away Other Red Colored Males (and Other Red Colored Objects)

      2. The Courtship Between the Red Male and the Silver Female

        Mate Stimulus Response
        Female Sight of the Red Male Swims Heads Up Towards the Male
        Male Silver Female Swimming Heads Up Zig-Zag Dance
        Female Zig-Zag Dance Swims Toward Male
        Male Female Swims Toward Male Swims Toward Nest
        Female Male Swims Toward Nest Follows Male
        Male Female Following Shows Nest
        Female Male In/Near Nest Enters Nest
        Male Female in Nest with Swollen Silver Side Thrusts Nose Against Silver Side
        Female Male Touching Side Deposits Eggs and Leaves
        Male Female Leaving and Deposited Eggs Enters Nest and Fertilizes Eggs

  12. Animal Communication

    1. Sound

      1. Insects: Male Aedes Mosquitoes Can Hear Wing Beats of Females

      2. Insects: Male Crickets

      3. Frogs: Males Attract Females

      4. Bird Songs: Males Attract Females and Defend Territories

    2. Chemical

      1. Releaser Pheromones

        1. Insects

          1. Ant Trails

          2. Sex Attractants

        2. Mammals

      2. Primer Pheromones: Produce Long Term Alterations in the Physiological Condition of the Recipient. These May Help Regulate Population Densities

    3. Communication By Visual Displays

      1. Reproductive Behavior

        1. Birds

        2. Fireflies

      2. Agonistic Behavior in Canids

        1. Greeting Display

        2. Threat Display

        3. Appeasement Display

    4. Tactile

    5. Language

      1. Honey Bee Dance - Karl von Frisch

  13. Biological clocks

    1. Photoperiodism: Response of an Organism to the Duration and Timing of Light and Darkness - Garder and Allard

    2. Circadian Rhythms

    3. Circannular Rhythms

  14. Territoriality

    1. Canids: Marking By Urine and Scats

    2. Rabbits: Use of Chin Gland Secretions to Protect Its Warren

    3. Birds: Singing
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