BI102 General Biology

Spring 2008

Dr. Brian K. Penney

Goulet 2320

603 641-7149

bpenney@anselm.edu

Brian K. Penney 's web page

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1. Behavior is activity (muscular or otherwise) triggered by a stimulus, governing interactions with the environment or other individuals.

   • Behavior can be explained by both proximate (immediate interactions with the environment) and ultimate (evolutionary) factors.

   • All behavior consists of genetic components modified by experience.

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2. Genetic components of behavior include:

   • Innate behaviors are genetically fixed, and appear virtually identical within a species (e.g. Fixed Action Patterns (FAPs) in response to sign stimuli) and form with selection for invariant behavior

   • Circadian rhythms are innate patterns of activity that are kept in sync with the environment through cues such as daylight.

   • kineses and taxes reflect programmed responses to environmental variables

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3. Learning

   Learning is modification of behavior in response to experience in the environment, such as: habituation, imprinting, association, imitation (social learning), and problem solving. (KNOW TABLE 35.4)

   Non-human capacity for cognition is debated

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4. Movement

   Movement can be guided via simple stimulus/response or spatial learning (use of landmarks, etc.) and range up to migrations

   Cognitive maps include landmarks but extend to a spatial representation of terrain and conditions

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5. Behavioral Ecology

   • Behavioral ecology searches for ultimate explanations for behavior through cost/benefit analyses, especially in foraging

   • Animals often form search images of valuable prey items

   • Optimal foraging theory uses estimates of food value versus relative costs and risks of procurement to explain how animals decide among prey choices in their environment.

Copyright 2007-2008, Brian K. Penney

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