1. 1 Animal Behavior: Why (and how) do animals do what they do? Picture: Animal cognition.net

2. 2 Aristotle (384-322 B.C.): Observational work in zoology Embryology Anatomy Characteristics: Vivipary Behavior: Social organization

3. 3 5/13/08: Natural Selection and History of Animal Behavior Lecture objectives: 1.Understand Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection 2.Identify the major people and questions that guided the development of the modern study of animal behavior

4. 4 The views on relationships between species have progressed over time

5. 5 Darwin set the stage for the study of animal behavior through his theory of natural selection

6. 6 Evolution by natural selection is inevitable if 3 conditions are met: 1.Variation: 2.Heredity: 3. Differences in reproductive success: xx Survival of the “fittest”

7. 7 Evolution by natural selection acts at the genetic level Peppered moth: Gene for color has two alleles (forms): R, r RR, Rr rr

8. 8 Example of natural selection in action: moths in England during the Industrial Revolution I tawt I taw a peppered moth! Brown trunks increase Proportion of light moths 0 1

9. 9 What would a population look like over time if one of Darwin’s 3 conditions is not met? 1.No Variation? 2.No Heredity? 3.No Differences in reproductive success?

10. 10 Biologists often seek to understand behavior through the lens of natural selection “How does this trait promote reproductive success?” Logic: Conditions of n.s. apply to So species have been So the traits we observe today are a So these traits probably exist because

11. 11 Example of Darwinian approach: How does infanticide by male langurs increase the male’s reproductive success? xx Tendency for infanticide No tendency for infanticide

12. 12 Example of Darwinian approach: Why might a (former) mother langur be willing to mate with this new male? x Tendency to mate No tendency to mate x

13. 13 How might building an elaborate bower enhance the reproductive success of male bowerbirds?

14. 14 The history of the study of animal behavior AristotleDarwin Pavlov Thorndike Skinner Lorenz von Frisch Tinbergen Behaviorism Ethology Modern Animal Behavior 1900 1973 Nobel Prize 350 B.C.1859 Comparative Psychology

15. 15 Pavlov: Classical Conditioning

16. 16 Thorndike and Skinner: Operant Conditioning (Trial-and-error learning)

17. 17 The history of the study of animal behavior AristotleDarwin Pavlov Thorndike Skinner Lorenz von Frisch Tinbergen Behaviorism Ethology Modern Animal Behavior 1900 1973 Nobel Prize 350 B.C.1859 Comparative Psychology

18. 18 Karl von Frisch: Communication & Sensory abilities in Honeybees

19. 19 Konrad Lorenz (1903-1989): Instinct, Imprinting & Motivation Form of imprinting: “Westermarck effect”

20. 20 Niko Tinbergen (1907-1988): What features of the environment do animals respond to? Sign stimuli Aggression in 3-spined sticklebacks Fixed action patterns Egg-rolling behavior in graylag geese Experiments!

21. 21 Behaviorist or Ethologist? You decide! “Give me a dozen healthy infants…and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select – doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.” ?

22. 22 Behaviorist or Ethologist? You decide! His view: Each animal has its own subjective universe, or way of sensing the world around it. And as a consequence, different animals, even ones that share the same physical environment, might have unique sensory experiences. ?

23. 23 The history of the study of animal behavior AristotleDarwin Pavlov Thorndike Skinner Lorenz von Frisch Tinbergen Behaviorism Ethology Modern Animal Behavior 1900 1973 Nobel Prize 350 B.C.1859 Comparative Psychology

24. 24 The modern study of animal behavior is a synthesis of behaviorism and ethology Behaviorists came to recognize that Ethologists came to recognize that

25. 25 The history of the study of animal behavior AristotleDarwin Pavlov Thorndike Skinner Lorenz von Frisch Tinbergen Behaviorism Ethology Modern Animal Behavior 1900 1973 Nobel Prize 350 B.C.1859 Comparative Psychology Context: Biology - Evolution “Nature” Fieldwork: Insects, bird, fish Context: Psychology - Learning “Nurture” Labwork: Mammals, Pigeons

26. 26 Darwin discussion 1.Variation: What might maintain this? 2.Heredity: Are all traits hereditary? 3.Differences in reproductive success: What might make some animals be less successful at producing offspring? xx