Animal Behavior Ethology

Kinds of Animal Behavior Instinct – innate behavior Fixed action patterns (FAP)- innate behaviors that follow a regular, unvarying pattern. Imprinting- a specific behavior that is acquired only if the appropriate stimulus is experienced during a critical period. Associative learning – learns that two or more events are connected Classical conditioning- Pavlov’s dog operant conditioning – trial-and-error learning

Types of Animal Behavior ctd. Habituation – learned behavior that allows the animal to disregard meaningless stimuli Observational learning – animals copy the behavior of another animal without having experiences any prior positive reinforcement with the behavior. Insight – when an animal exposed to a new situation and without any prior relevant experience performs a behavior that generates a desirable outcome.

Animal Movement Kinesis (pl., kineses) undirected change in speed of an animal’s movement in response to a stimulus. Taxis (pl., taxes) directed movement in response to a stimulus. Either toward or away from the stimulus. Migration long-distance, seasonal movement of animals. In response to availability of food or degradation of the environment or both.

Communication in Animals Chemicals - pheromones Releaser Pheromones – chemicals that cause immediate and specific behavioral changes. Primer pheromones those that cause physiological changes. .

Tactile – social bonding, infant care, grooming, and mating Visual Courtship displays Agonistic behaviors – aggression Auditory – sounds to communicate over long distances, through water, and at night. Tactile – social bonding, infant care, grooming, and mating

Foraging Behaviors Packs – increase success in attacking large prey Herds, flocks, and schools Better concealment Vigilance Defense Search images-

Social Behavior Agonistic behavior – aggression Dominance hierarchies - minimize fighting for food and mates. Territoriality – Altruistic behavior – Inclusive fitness – includes the fitness of the individual plus the fitness of relatives . Kin selection