Animal Behavior and Ethology Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary difference between proximate and ultimate causation of behaviors?

Proximate causation focuses on evolutionary history, while ultimate causation focuses on stimuli.

Proximate causation deals with immediate triggers and responses, whereas ultimate causation addresses survival and reproductive influences. (correct)

Proximate causation encompasses learned behaviors only, while ultimate causation relates to innate behaviors.

Proximate causation explains why a behavior occurs, while ultimate causation explains how it occurs.

Which of the following best describes fixed action patterns?

They require environmental interaction to be expressed.

They are learned behaviors developed through experience.

They are behaviors that evolve over time based on individual experiences.

They are instinctive responses triggered by specific stimuli. (correct)

What role does behavior play in the study of behavioral ecology?

Behavior is only considered important in social species.

Behavior is irrelevant and does not influence survival.

Behavior has no connection with natural selection.

Behavior contributes to energy consumption and homeostasis. (correct)

Which of the following statements is true about altruistic behaviors?

Altruistic behaviors can enhance the survival of relatives through kin selection. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the optimal foraging model in behavioral ecology?

To determine the most efficient strategies for energy intake. Signup and view all the answers

What defines learning in the context of behavior modification?

Modification of behavior based on specific experiences Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of fixed action patterns?

A fish reacting aggressively to a red object Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes the sensitive period in imprinting?

It is limited to a short, specific time frame Signup and view all the answers

What type of learning is social learning primarily associated with?

Observational behavior from others Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes associative learning?

Learning based on forming links between experiences Signup and view all the answers

What role does cognition play in animal behavior?

It encompasses problem-solving and judgment skills Signup and view all the answers

How does ultimate causation differ from proximate causation in understanding behavior?

Ultimate causation examines survival and reproductive benefits Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about animal communication is correct?

It can involve chemical signals such as pheromones Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of a disadvantage of living in groups?

Disease spread among members Signup and view all the answers

Which scenario is an example of kin selection?

Naked mole rats caring for young Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes ultimate causation from proximate causation?

Proximate causation addresses evolutionary significance Signup and view all the answers

What type of learning involves no prior experience?

Innate behaviors Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a true statement about altruistic behaviors?

They may decrease an individual's reproductive success. Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is NOT a cause of animal behavior?

Social hierarchy structures Signup and view all the answers

In the context of social behavior, reciprocal altruism is best exemplified by which of the following?

Vampire bats sharing blood among themselves Signup and view all the answers

What does 'true altruism' entail as observed in humpback whales?

Actions that benefit other species as well as their own Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Animal Behavior

Animal behavior is the study of an organism's responses to external and internal stimuli, including actions carried out by muscles under nervous system control
This study is called ethology
Behavior is essential for energy consumption, reproduction, and homeostasis
Behavior influences survivability and is subject to natural selection
Behaviors can be innate (do not require experience) or learned (require experience)

Learning Objectives

The importance of behavior
Distinguishing proximate and ultimate causality of behaviors, including examples
Identifying and explaining fixed action patterns and learning
Explaining the optimal foraging model
Differentiating mating systems
Defining altruistic behaviors
Discussing kin selection

Proximate Causation

Question 1: What stimuli trigger behavior?
Question 2: How does experience influence behavior?
- Innate and learned responses
- Combination of nature (genes) and nurture (environment) in shaping learning and behavior
Innate Behavior
- Fixed action patterns - unlearned responses to external stimuli
- Sign stimuli – external triggers for behavior
- Examples, like the three-spined stickleback
- Environmental stimuli, such as circadian rhythms and migration
- Animal communication (visual, chemical, tactile, auditory) – examples include vocalizations, pheromones, and dances
Learning – experience
- Modification of behavior based on specific experiences.
- Examples: Imprinting ( establishment of a long-lasting response to a particular individual or object in a specific time period; sensitive period), spatial learning (memory based on environmental space), associative learning (memory based on associations between experiences), cognitive learning (process of knowing and includes awareness, reasoning, recollection, and judgment), social learning (observed behaviors of other individuals for example, vervet monkeys give specific calls for different predators)

Ultimate Causation

Question 3: How does behavior affect survival and reproduction?
Question 4: How has natural selection shaped behavior?
- Survival and Reproduction
  - Differing foraging strategies affect success
  - Optimal foraging theory
  - Mating behavior and mate choice play a major role in determining reproductive success
  - Mating Systems
    - Variations in mating systems and mate choice lead to different behaviors (e.g., courtship, monogamy, polygamy, parental care)
    - Sexual dimorphism (males and females differ in appearance, differing with mating systems)
    - Monogamous species show similar appearance. Polygamous species (where one sex attracts multiple mates) are typically showier and larger
    - Examples of mating systems in seabirds (long-term pairing, elaborate courtship rituals, extensive parental care in albatrosses)
  - Exception! Crested auklets are bonded for only one breeding season
Social Behavior
- Advantages of living in groups – finding food, protection from environmental conditions and predators
- Disadvantages of living in groups – competition among group members, diseases that spread quickly, and groups being easier to spot by predators
Kin selection (Altruistic Behaviors)
- Natural selection that favors traits that enhance the reproductive success of an organism's relatives, even at the cost of the individual's own survival and reproduction
- E.g., alarm calls, non-parent rearing/protection.
Altruism
- Why would these behaviors evolve? – fitness includes direct (individual's reproduction) and indirect components (relative's reproduction)
- Selection that favors the spread of alleles that lead to increased indirect fitness–kin selection
Example of Kin Selection
- Eusociality – cooperative groups, usually with only one reproductively active female, where non-breeding individuals care for young or protect the group (e.g., naked mole rats, queens being aggressive to non-relatives)
- Reciprocal altruism – resource sharing (e.g., blood sharing in vampire bats)

Humpback Whales

True altruism: behaviors that benefit their own species and other species (from killer whales)

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Description

Test your knowledge on animal behavior and its underlying principles. Explore the distinctions between innate and learned behaviors, proximate and ultimate causation, and concepts like altruism and kin selection. This quiz will help reinforce fundamental concepts in ethology.