Animal Behavior

Zoology LS2014 Spring 2008

Donald Winslow

Approaches to Animal Behavior

• Comparative Psychology

• Ethology--adaptation

• Behavioral Ecology

• Sociobiology

• Evolution of Behavior

• Neurobiology—physiological mechanisms

Adaptive benefit of behavior

Camouflaged Worm-eating Warbler nest

Development of Behavior

• Environmental influences

• Sensitive periods

• Innate behavior

Evolution of behavior

• Behavioral genetics—polygenic inheritance

• Adaptation

• Inclusive fitness—includes fitness of relatives

• Evolutionarily stable strategies

Evolution of social behavior

• Sexual selection

• Altruism

• Mating systems

• Social structure

Mechanisms of behavior

• Nervous system– Neurons– Sensory receptors– Hormones

• Sensory perception– Chemoreception and thermoreception– Mechanoreceptors and hearing– Vision and echolocation

Physiology and behavior

• Acclimatization

• Biological clocks

• Hormones and reproductive behavior

• Hibernation

• Migration

• Lunar rhythms

• Circadian rhythms

Animal learningPsychological approach

• Ivan Pavlov’s dogs

• Conditioning– Acquisition– Habituation

• Reinforcement– Positive reinforcement– Negative reinforcement

Biological aspects of learning

• Evolutionary constraints on learning

• Stimulus relevance

• Cognitive aspects of learning

Instinct

• Konrad Lorenz and Niko Tinbergen

• Releasing mechanism

• Imprinting

• Displacement activities

• Communication

• Conflict

Decision-making

• Karl von Frisch’s honeybees– Foraging– Flower recognition– Communication

• Evolutionary optimality– Optimal foraging– Trade-offs– Time and energy budgets

Fox squirrel (Sciurus niger)

Mentality of animals

• Language and mental representation– Non-verbal communication in humans– Teaching apes and parrots to converse

• Intelligence, tool use, and culture– Comparative intelligence– Tool use– Culture

Animal awareness and emotion

• Self-awareness

• Consciousness – Donald Griffin: mental images and intention

• Fear and suffering