1. Quick Tour Through Animal Behavior

2. Like I said in class (sorry juniors – you were taking the ACT) Behavioral ecology is my true love when it comes to biology. If I could have figured out how to make a living and make a positive impact on the world by pursuing this area, I would have. So it breaks my heart a little to know that I can’t spend the kind of time on this topic that I would like…

3. But due to time constraints, we need to move quickly and effectively through the AP standards that cover this area… 

4. The transition Realize that animal behaviors are responses made by organisms…responses to stimuli detected by nerves. And those responses are the result of signaling cascades.

5. Chapter 43 – Behavior: any action that can be observed and described – Behavioral ecology: studies how behavior is controlled, how it develops, evolves, and contributes to survival and reproductive success.

6. Take a prairie dog for example… Prairie dogs live in colonies (called towns) When a predator is sighted, a prairie dog will stand on top of its mound and start vocalizing (give an alarm call) Essentially, alerting the predator to its presence and exact location. Why would an individual do this? This behavior seems counterintuitive…

7. Behavioral Ecologists design experiments to test hypotheses http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/b oa_ambushesrat?source=relatedvideo http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/b oa_ambushesrat?source=relatedvideo So why do they do it?

8. How does it increase the fitness of the individual? Sacrificing yourself “for the good of the group” (altruism) does not work as an explanation unless there are genetic relationships…and strong ones at that…

9. AP Standard: Natural selection favors innate and learned behaviors that increase survival and reproductive fitness.

10. Innate behavior What you are born knowing how to do developmentally fixed under strong genetic control Exhibited in the same form in a population despite external and internal environmental differences

11. Examples: Kinesis: change in activity in response to a stimulus Taxis: automatic, oriented movement toward or away from some stimulus Migration: timing specifically seems to be under genetic control – the “where to” seems to be learned

12. learning Behavioral change resulting from experience Examples: – Habituation – Spatial learning – Trial and error – Conditioning

13. Back to the standard… Organisms are going to behave in ways that favored by natural selection – Benefits MUST outweigh the costs – Sometimes its not so obvious…

14. AP standard Cooperative behavior tends to increase the fitness of the individual and the survival of the population. – Benefits must outweigh costs

15. Pack Behavior http://www.discovery.com/tv- shows/life/videos/cheetahs-hunt-ostrich/ http://www.discovery.com/tv- shows/life/videos/cheetahs-hunt-ostrich/ – Benefits?

16. Predator Warning http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/wild- kingdom/videos/prairie-dogs-sound-the- alarm/ http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/wild- kingdom/videos/prairie-dogs-sound-the- alarm/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcB5kySU xWA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcB5kySU xWA – Benefits?

17. Herds, flocks, and schools What’s the benefit?

18. Swarming Behavior http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/adaptations/Sw arm http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/adaptations/Sw arm http://io9.com/this-video-of-a-honeybee- swarm-reveals-why-humans-cant-1522411422 http://io9.com/this-video-of-a-honeybee- swarm-reveals-why-humans-cant-1522411422 – This article highlights bee social structure

19. AP standard Living systems have a variety of signal behaviors or cues that produce changes in the behavior of other organisms and can result in differential reproductive success

20. Example: territorial marking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ebTTQo AmDU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ebTTQo AmDU Lions mark territory with scent and vocalizations Interspecific (with hyenas and leopards) and intraspecific (with neighboring lion prides) competition deterred

21. What is this elephant saying? How does this behavior improve the success of this elephant?

22. AP Standard Animals use visual, audible, tactile, electrical and chemical signals to indicate dominance, find food, establish territory and ensure reproductive success.

23. examples Bee dances (tactile – for finding food) Fireflies (visual – for mating) Bird songs (territory and mating) Territorial marking (scents and vocals) Pack behavior (dominance vs submissive displays) Rutting season (competition/sexual selection) – Animal Minds Video: we watched in class 3/3 – http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/inside-animal- minds.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/inside-animal- minds.html