Behaviour

Courtship behaviour What is the role of courtship in successful mating How does courtship help members of a species recognise each other?

Surely individuals just mate with others of the same species The following criteria are paramount to successful reproduction Ensure mating take place between species Both individuals must be sexually mature Form a pair band that will successfully raise offspring Synchronise mating so t takes place to allow maximum probability of sperm and egg meeting

Mallard Courtship

Why? Females are often only receptive to mating for a short time. ( In season) This is when their eggs are ready for fertilisation If the female responds favourably to courtship, offspring are likely to be produced

How? The female comes into season The males display a ritual The female responds with a signal for mating to begin If not the male goes elsewhere to try again. This ensure successful mating.

What Happens?

Closely related species show subtle differences in courtship Individuals of the same species show the same courtship. How many different species are shown here? Answer 5 not 6

Sticklebacks

This diagram shows Tinbergen's main findings. Male sticklebacks: "Ethology and fish behaviour" In Spring male sticklebacks change colour, establish a territory and build a nest. They attack male sticklebacks that enter their territory, but court females and entice them to enter the nest to lay eggs.                                                                                                                        The ethologist Tinbergen used crude 'models' of sticklebacks to investigate which features of male and female sticklebacks elicited attack and courtship behaviour from male sticklebacks. This diagram shows Tinbergen's main findings. Male sticklebacks: attacked a model with a red belly courted a model with a swollen silver belly   The term sign stimulus or releaser was used to describe simple features (e.g. red belly, swollen belly) of a complex stimulus (e.g. male stickleback, female stickleback) that bring about a particular fixed behaviour pattern (e.g. head down attack behaviour in male sticklebacks). "Ethology and fish behaviour" In Spring male sticklebacks change colour, establish a territory and build a nest. They attack male sticklebacks that enter their territory, but court females and entice them to enter the nest to lay eggs. The ethologist Tinbergen used crude 'models' of sticklebacks to investigate which features of male and female sticklebacks elicited attack and courtship behaviour from male sticklebacks. This diagram shows Tinbergen's main findings. Male sticklebacks: attacked a model with a red belly courted a model with a swollen silver belly   The term sign stimulus or releaser was used to describe simple features (e.g. red belly, swollen belly) of a complex stimulus (e.g. male stickleback, female stickleback) that bring about a particular fixed behaviour pattern (e.g. head down attack behaviour in male sticklebacks).

Birds of Paradise Watch the video