Behavioral Ecology

MOSTLY VOCAB – listen to

concepts/stories to explain each
term
Behavioral ecology
The study of how animal
behavior develops,
evolves, and contributes
to survival and
reproductive success

Ethology - a narrower
field that just studies
behavior, without all the
ecological parts
We ask 2 kinds of
questions

1. Proximate questions - ask about the

environmental stimuli that trigger a behavior
(“how” questions)
e.g. “How does the length of daylight affect
breeding behavior in cranes?”
2. Ultimate questions - ask about the
evolutionary significance of a behavior
(“why” questions)
e.g. “Why did natural selection favor this behavior
and not a different one?”
 Animal
1. Fixed Action Behaviors
Patterns (FAP)
Unlearned
behaviors
Usually
unchangeable
Innate (genetic,
born able to do it)
Triggered by an
external stimulus
Carried to
completion once
initiated
Story of the
sticklebacks
Animal Behaviors
2. Imprinting
Includes both learning and innate components
Usually irreversible
Comes about during a sensitive period during
development when the behavior MUST be
learned
The story of ducks, geese, cranes
Caution
All behaviors have some
genetic and some
environmental component
The question is not
“Nature or Nurture”
The question is “How do
both nature and nurture
affect behavior?”
Animal Behaviors w/ strong
genetic basis
Kinesis
A change in activity in response to a stimulus; a
change in speed – move faster in unfavorable
environments and slower in favorable ones. The
net result is more time in favorable places
Not directed
The story of the isopods
Animal Behaviors w/ strong
genetic basis
Taxis
An automatic, reflex oriented movement
toward (positive taxis) or away from
(negative taxis) something, like moths to
the light
The story of the fish
Animal Behaviors w/ strong
genetic basis
Migration
Strong genetic
component
Story of the black
caps
Some populations
migrate; some do not
In migrating
populations, caged
birds show
restlessness during
migration time
Animal Communication is
strongly genetic
Use visual, auditory,
chemical, tactile, and
electrical signals to
communicate
Pheromones - chemical
signal that affects
behavior
Bird songs are at least
partly learned
Insect songs are almost
purely genetic
Animal Behaviors w/ a strong
environmental basis
Environmental factors like:
Quality of diet
Social interactions
Learning opportunities

A coyote with
a face full of
porcupine
quills - ouch!
Animal behaviors with a
strong environmental basis
Learning - the modification of behavior
based on specific experiences
Imprinting
Habituation
Spatial learning
Cognitive maps
Associative learning
Cognition and
problem solving Chimps teaching each
other how to hammer
open palm nuts
Habituation
Loss of responsiveness to stimuli
Venus flytrap closes when triggered, unless it
keeps getting touched without the reward of food
Baby ducks run for cover when something flies
overhead, unless it keeps happening and no one
gets attacked
Researchers often have to habituate their study
population to their presence
Spatial Learning
The modification of
behavior based on
experience with the
spatial structure of
the environment
Where the good
nesting sites are,
where food can be
found, what areas
to avoid Wasps use landmarks to
locate nests
Cognitive Maps

An internal representation of the spatial

relationships in an animal’s
environment
Ravens and jays store food in caches
May store 1000s of nuts in 1000s of
different places
They can remember where food is stored
and even what kind of food is stored in
each place using landmarks as identifiers
Associative learning
The ability to associate
one feature of the
environment with another
Classical conditioning - an
arbitrary stimulus is
associated with reward or
punishment - Pavlov’s
dogs
Operant conditioning - an
animal learns to associate
its own behavior with
reward or punishment
Cognition & problem solving
The ability of an animal to
perceive and process
information
Some animals have very
advanced problem solving
skills
Primates
Dolphins
Many birds like crows, ravens,
and jays
Octopi
Animals can learn from each
other
Natural selection can result in the
evolution of behaviors
Best evidence for
this is variations in
behaviors between
and within species
Example:
Different populations
of garter snakes prey
on different animals
Natural selection
favors individuals
who can capitalize on
the dominant food
source
Optimal Foraging Theory
Foraging is a compromise between the
benefits of getting food and the energy spent
getting it or the risk of getting eaten by a
predator while trying to get food
Natural selection favors those that maximize
the benefits and minimize the costs

Optimal height drop is 5 m -

least amount of work for
most benefit…most birds
drop frfom exactly this
height
Mating Behaviors
May be
Promiscuous - no lasting relationships
Monogomous - 1 male w/ 1 female
Both sexes often look alike
Many birds are this way because the
young require so much care they need
2 parents
Polygymous - one individual mating w/
several others
Polygyny - 1 male, several females -
more common
Female mammals care for young by
nursing - don’t need dad to help so he
maximizes his reproductive success by
mating with several
Males often “prettier” in this type
Polyandry - 1 female, several males
Mating Behaviors
Certainty of paternity an issue
Of course the kids are the mom’s, but are they
the dad’s?
With internal fertilization, behaviors like guarding
females or releasing large amounts of sperm
occur to help ensure paternity
With external fertilization, paternity is pretty much
a given, so males may help with care of the young
more

Male jawfish
Bull male
cares for
protects young…
his harem external
of females fertilization
from other guarantees
males they are his
Mating Behaviors
Female choice has led to the
natural selection of particular
traits in males
Social Behavior &
Altruism
Altruism - selfless behavior for the
benefit of others
Benefits the passing of genes - which is
what “success” is all about in biology
One queen is
cared for by all
others…they
even die to
save her
Altruism and
relatedness

Coefficient of relatedness – a statistic

that represents the average number of
genes 2 individuals share
The more they share, the more likely
they will help each other
Siblings share 50% of their genes
Agnostic Behavior
Conflict behavior over a resource;
usually just big displays of strength
Dominance Hierarchies
Ranking among members of a group;
subject to change; reduces conflict
among members since everyone
knows their place
Territoriality
Defense of territory to keep others out