Principles of Animal Behaviour

Question 1

what is animal behaviour?

Answer 1

• no one definition, but common themes
• Refers to a whole organism
• Response to external & internal stimuli
  Influenced by genetics & environment

Question 2

what is not animal behaviour?

Answer 2

• Cell movement
• Circadian rhythms
• Instincts

Question 3

why is animal behaviour important to study?

Answer 3

• Conservation: understanding species in order to protect them
• Human implications: understanding animals helps us better understand ourselves
• Curiosity about unique behaviours

Question 4

what are the causes of animal behaviour?

Answer 4

• mechanism
• development
• survival value
• evolutionary history

Question 5

mechanism

Answer 5

• stimuli responsible for eliciting behaviour

- Ex. Neurobiological or hormonal processes

Question 6

development

Answer 6

• behavioural changes as animals mature

- Ex. Sleep patterns

Question 7

survival value

Answer 7

influence of behaviour on survival & reproduction

Question 8

evolutionary history

Answer 8

• when and why the behaviour first appeared in the history of the species
• Ex. Genetic mutations

Question 9

proximate and ultimate analyses

Answer 9

causes of evolutionary behaviours

Question 10

proximate

Answer 10

mechanism & development; immediate causes (why is this happening?)

Question 11

ultimate

Answer 11

survival value & evolutionary history; evolutionary forces (how is this happening?)

Question 12

3 foundations of animal behaviour

Answer 12

• natural selection
• individual learning
• cultural transmission

Question 13

natural selection

Answer 13

• the process through which evolutionary change has shaped the diversity of life
• Ex. Hawaiian crickets -> surviving without song

Question 14

individual learning

Answer 14

• the process of altering the frequency of behaviours displayed within the lifetime of an organism; acquired info that’s not transmitted to next generation
• Ex. Grasshoppers -> learning to eat the balanced diet based on cues

Question 15

cultural transmission

Answer 15

• situations in which animals learn something by copying the behaviour of others (social learning); this knowledge and behaviour is passed down to the next generation
• Ex. Rats -> learning what garbage is safe to eat