Animal Behaviour & Evolution PDF

lOMoARcPSD|50472057 Overview - Summary Animal Behaviour & Evolution Animal Behaviour & Evolution (McMaster University) Scan to open on Studocu Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university Downloaded by Lucy Mor...

lOMoARcPSD|50472057 Overview - Summary Animal Behaviour & Evolution Animal Behaviour & Evolution (McMaster University) Scan to open on Studocu Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university Downloaded by Lucy Moreira ([email protected])  lOMoARcPSD|50472057 Homosexual Behaviour Laysan Albatross -Homosexual behaviour does not result in offspring -no visual difference between sexes so it does not have to do with fitness -31% female-female pairs -found in many species -both mothers raise one chick per year -same-sex courtship -hatching rate was lower in homosexual behaviour -sexual orientation is only used by humans -but good fledgling rate -sexual preference is in animals -innate tendency lined to pleasure and pair bonding -heterosexual sex without reproduction -female sexuality Humans -extended female sexuality -how long they stare at each picture -chimps only fertile for 3-4 days -exclusive same sex: 1% -benefits: food protection, bonding, still -same sex encounter (5 yrs): 2-11% selective -same sec attraction but no contact: 8-10 -extended heterosexual behaviour is common then -we engage in same sex behaviour heterosexual isn’t too far off -there is no evolutionary dilemma as long -errors, male-male conflict, initiating and as it doesn’t reduce fitness maintaining social relationships, parental care by -don’t know if it has reduced fitness two females when sex ration is female biased -behavioural phenotypes have a large variation Male-Male conflict -fruit flies court intensively Environment -court immature males and females -heritable 0.2-0.5 -males suppress competitors by mounting them -less heritable in women Fraternal birth order effect Errors -having older brothers increases the odds of -male courtship in fruitflies (the small male and homosexuality in later born males female are similar) Same Sex bonobos -females engage in same sex behaviour Initiate and maintain social relationships -reduce tension -increased level of oxytocin (hormone mediating social bonding) Social Tolerance in bonobos vs chimps -has to be older biological brothers -pairs were presented with food -explains 20% of gay men -looked at: co feeding, sexual behaviour, play and aggression Maternal immune response -maternal antibodies to male-specific proteins alter sexual orientation -mothers will have a higher neuroligin 4Y protein -linked to social behaviour and alters brain function of male fetus -no found direct link -extended female heterosexuality is common, -bonobos are more social -chimps wanted to effectively eliminating the perceived traditional monopolize their food (97%) puzzle about homosexuality Downloaded by Lucy Moreira ([email protected])  lOMoARcPSD|50472057 -unknown as to what causes these urges -when resource is greater than cost it is better to be -given the enormous variation, it makes sense that a hawk something within the 0.01 frequency isn’t puzzling -when close to 0 dove is lower -however, when Vcost -archaeology shows that men travelled greater distances -relatedness: genes that are inherited from a common ancestor -cost: 1 -mother should die for no less than 3 kids -should be independent Artic Tern -attack things larger than them -men travel more when they have lovers Should an individual helps raise siblings -only beneficial if it results in more than twice as many additional siblings than this individual Naked Mole Rats -very related (eusocial) Conclusion -men are more daring and will travel longer -lifetime reproductive success may not be sufficient -evolution implies a change in gene Nowadays frequency so we have to think at that level -men are faster than women in a VR maze -men also made less errors Blue Herons: typically the youngest die as they -if girls have higher androgen prenatal they will don’t have access to food have better spatial ability -testosterone is better neuron survival in some non humans -men with larger ranges father more children Phylogeny Taxi drivers -all species are the product of descent -have a larger hippocampi after driving for a while -species are not independent units -adaptive (neural plasticity) -understand the evolution, their timing and number -think about effects of cognition and plasticity with of independent origins so much tech available Agriculture -learning and memory are adaptions to situations -planting cultivars and harvesting for food where innate behaviour is insufficient -insects invented it (used pesticides) -we have specific learning and memory abilities which are adaptions for our ecological needs -7 different origins in beetles Inclusive Fitness & Phylogeny -evolved independently 7 times Downloaded by Lucy Moreira ([email protected])  lOMoARcPSD|50472057 -9 different origins of insect agriculture Honey Bees -bees transition to different jobs throughout life -genetic and statistical tools allow us too reveal -foraging is near the end of life common ancestry, construct phylogenetic trees and date important evolutionary events Genetics and Heritability Chromosome: long strand of DNA consisting of diff genes Genes: functional unit of heredity -DNA transcribed into RNA -when young resident bees are added they become Locus: site on chromosome for a gene foragers Allele: on of several forms of a gene -in addition to age, the colony needs to Mutation: alteration of a DNA sequence affect the transition from nurse to forager -mRNA from the brain can accurately predict the Most traits are polygenic behaviour of 95% of the bees -Quantitative Trait Loci: genes that control -those with forR are rovers and larvae with forS are polygenic traits sitters -can be mapped by genetic markers Conclusion: -a genes interact to alter behaviour as seen in bees -1/3 of the genome changes between nurse and forager -shows how age and environment influence genetic expression associated with phenotypes (N and F) Measures of Variation -variance, standard deviation and standard error -understand the genes that underly the traits (bars at the top of the graph) -variance means increased differences -can be used to help mental disorders -ex mice have identified QTL’s for anxiety -certain emotions like anxiety, depression, happiness and love are adaptive Two sources of Variation -Genetic Variance: amount of variance in genotypes -Environmental Variance: variance among individuals with the same genotype Phenotypic Variation -genetic variance +environmental variance -those with anxiety are more likely to survive as they take less risks Heritability (broad sense) DNA Microarrays -heritability means variance -numerous copies of single-stranded DNA of a gene -attach mRNA to it and mark it with a label -binding means the gene was active Downloaded by Lucy Moreira ([email protected])  lOMoARcPSD|50472057 Heritability (narrow sense) -genes and the environment always interact to -additive genetic variance (Va) over create a phenotype phenotypic variance (Vg above) Evolution -artificial and natural selection Artificial -selective breeding to change the proportions of -Va is the additive effects of alleles individuals differing in one or more traits -degree of similarity from parent to kid -dogs Response to Selection (R) -change in the mean character state after selection from the previous generation -selecting for aggression (increase) -white is after a few generations and grey is after more -takes a few months to show selection Selection Differential (S) -difference between mean trait (high point on left Artificial Selection graph) and population mean (high point on right) -helps us understand basic mechanisms that underly aggression and generalize it to others Response to Selection is High when Heritability is -aggression also sparks sex in fruit flies High -fitness is determined by humans -fitness success of an individual reproducing Necessary Conditions for natural selection (3) -heritable, variation and fitness Things that aren’t heritable -religious belief, language, style -fitness: lifetime reproductive success -product of reproductive rate -length of reproductive lifespan -lots of males don’t have offspring and many offspring don’t survive past 1 year -there is typically a large difference in fitness -heritability of phototaxis in Fruit Flies between individuals Downloaded by Lucy Moreira ([email protected])  lOMoARcPSD|50472057 -even small differences have effects on evolution -fish have anti-predatory behaviour and plastic response to direct cues of predation -NoThInG iN BiO or PsYcH makes sense except in the light of EvOLuTiOn Anti-predator behaviour in guppies -guppies from high predation and low predation -effecting: -male colour -body size -lab born but og high predation or low predation -age at maturity -those in high predation but born in lab still did -behaviour better -recorded spot numbers in guppies after a few -innate behaviour? generations Conclusions -life history and behaviour can be observed in natural populations -guppies have evolved different behaviours in high and low predation pools TWO MECHANISMS THAT CAN CHANGE -low predation they had fewer spots BEHAVIOUR OVER TIME -evolution and learning Evolution and Learning -bears have to find the optimal choice -life history helps identify key behaviours shared by animals (4 f’s) Evolution: a change over generations in thee proportions of individuals differing genetically in one or more traits (antibiotic resistance) -offspring size decreases in high predation -in high predation the average school size is much What mechanisms change biological traits larger (anti predatory) – not definite -evolution, experience/adaption, age related -Behaviour (predation) strongly affects visual changes (growing/aging) appearance and life history traits of the prey Finches -large beaks = opening large seeds -dry=few small seeds -wet= common seeds -distance between individuals increases in low predation – when alarmed they come closer together -those under high predation are more social Downloaded by Lucy Moreira ([email protected])  lOMoARcPSD|50472057 -1977+78 had a drought so it killed small beaked finches -evolutionary advantage was a large beak -showing a heritable variation in beak size Learning -ability to acquire a neuronal representation of new information -can use the information to determine which behaviour to act upon -observers that interacted with a cocoa diet liked cocoa Grasshoppers learning Individual vs social learning -learn to eat a balanced diet -individual learning is lost upon death -allowed to see the same image associated with the -social learning remains good food vs random -fast spread of a newly learned behaviour Life History and 4 F’s -feeding, fighting, fucking, fleeing -Animal Behaviour: self generated movement of either a body part or the whole body in animals Animal Life History -start life small -eating balanced diet -if they stay alive they grow and develop to sexual maturity -some reproduce but all age and die -fitness is survival and reproduction Critical Thinking -critical does not mean negative -analyzing breaking up a whole into parts -visits to balanced diet -learning allowed them to grow more increasing fitness -growth rate = reproductive success Social Learning -rats learn from others as to what food to eat - -rats interacted with a cocoa or cinnamon -there is no evidence that acupuncture reduces demonstrator and then could pick between cocoa pain or cinnamon diet Scientific Method -question, information gathering, hypothesis and prediction, experiment to test prediction, collect data, interpret data, communicate through journal Downloaded by Lucy Moreira ([email protected])  lOMoARcPSD|50472057 -blind experiment: person who collects data is blind to the subject’s assignment -double blind: subjects and experimenter don’t know their placement -humans only -placebo: expectation and anticipation of clinical improvement -randomized control trials means it was only blind PQ4R -preview, question, recite, review, reflect, read Birds and Airplanes -bird patterns is good to know so we don’t crash planes Downloaded by Lucy Moreira ([email protected])