Responses To The Environment

Animal Behavior

• Behavior is everything an animal does and how it does it. Behavioral has both proximate and ultimate causes.
  • Proximate questions are concerned with the environmental stimuli that trigger a behavior, as well as the genetic, physiological, and anatomical mechanisms underlying it.
    • Proximate questions are referred to as “how?” questions.
    • Proximate mechanisms produce behaviors that evolved because they increase fitness in some way.
  • Ultimate questions address the evolutionary significance of a behavior and why natural selection favors this behavior. Ultimate questions are referred to as “why?” questions.

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• • Innate Behavior
    • Some behaviors are inherited actions that are performed effectively the first time without being taught. These types of behaviors are called innate behaviors.
      • Instinct: The same behavior by all members regardless where they are.
      • Fixed action pattern: set of actions (behaviors) in sequence.

• • Learned behavior: When behaviors are modified by experience, it is called learning.

• • • Habituation: 
      • Decrease or stop a response to a repetitive harmless stimulus.

• • • Operant Conditioning:
      • response to a Reward.

• • • Classical conditioning:
      • Response to a Routine

• • • Insight learning (Cognitive behavior):
      • reasoning, solving problems, or making decisions.

• • • Imprinting:
      • Learning something and do it permanently.

• Feeding Behavior (Foraging Behavior):
  • The optimal hypothesis is the idea that animals tend to behave in a way that maximizes food gathering, while minimizing effort and exposure to predators.

• Migrating Behaviors:
  • Moving long distances seasonally in groups for reproducing and increase their survival chances.

• Ecological Behaviors (Competitive Behavior):
  • • Aggressive Behavior (Agonistic Behavior):
      • Fight between animals.

• • • Territorial Behavior:
      • A fight, or verbal, chemical signals to establish a territory for them.

• • • Dominance Hierarchies:
      • Fight to specify who is the higher ranked animal. (The Alpha).

• Social behavior can be defined as any kind of interaction between two or more animals, usually of the same species..
  • Cooperation or Social groups have evolved in the animal kingdom because there are benefits to living in a group. These benefits can include protection from predators and more success in foraging. Like lions hunting in a group.

• • Altruism: When one member of a social group acts in a way that benefits other members of the group while putting the individual at a disadvantage, this type of behavior is called.

• Biological Rhythms:
  • Circadian rhythm (Sleep – Wake Cycle)

• Communication Behaviors:
  • Pheromones:  
    • Chemicals for specific species for information or signaling.

• • Auditory communication: 
    • Barks, Chirps, hoots,….
    • Faster than chemicals.
    • as if they have their own language.

• Courting and nurturing behaviors
  • Courting Behavior: 
    • any ritual for attracting a mate visually

• • Nurturing behavior:
    • parental care and providing food and protection.

• Mimicry: 
  • is when the animal’s appearance is resembling a dangerous species to make it hard for predators to catch it.