Chapter 11

Behaviours for Survival

Learning OutcomesBy the end of this week you should be

able to:Describe innate behaviours in animalsDefine Learning and list various ways animals

can learnDescribe maintenance behaviours, such as

feeding, drinking, washing which can contribute to homeostasis

Give examples of behaviour patterns that are rhythmic or cyclic, including circadian rhythms

The Octopus: One of Earth's smartest

Octopus Opening a Jar to Get Dinner!

WATCH IT!!!

What are Behaviours?Behaviour The way that an organism acts or behaves

that increases survival.

Social behaviour Interacting with others.

Individual behaviour Interacting alone.

What are some things that

affect behaviour?

Types of BehaviourThese are the two categories that we

may place behaviours into.

A simple way of dividing the two categories is simply by asking yourself this question:

is the behaviour predominately influenced by genetics (Innate)

or is it predominately influenced by the environment (Learned)

Eating is a form of innate behaviour

Dancing is a form of a learned behaviour

What parts of your behavior

are instinctive?What parts

are learned?Who do you learn from?

Name three things you

have learnt in the last week….

Innate Behaviours

Innate Behaviours

Innate behaviour arises as part of normal development.

Animal is born knowing how to perform this behaviour.

Despite changes in external environment, all individuals exhibit the same behaviour.

This behaviour is developmentally fixed in this way and is called an innate behaviour, e.g. migration, taxis, signals, communication.

Innate behaviour is often vital for survival.

INSTINCT:Is the innate ability to complete a specific

behaviour patternNo conscious intention is involved

RELEASERS : sign stimuli ‘release’ a particular innate

behaviourInitiate specific behaviour automaticallyeg mother hens response to sound of their

chick in distress not the sight of it.

Some are RhythmicOrganisms repeat behaviours at regular

intervals, e.g. eating, sleeping these are called rhythmic behaviours. They may be daily or seasonal or annual

- Feeding - Migrations- Circadian Rhythms

Feeding Behavioursmay either be as an individual

e.g. spidermay be as a group via cooperation

e.g. dolphins

MigrationThis is a seasonal behaviour. The movement of a large

number of animals from one location to another

Usually due to a lack of food and available resources.

This form of behaviour is very common in birds

Birds migrating

Circadian RhythmsDiurnal: animals active

during the main part of the day.

Nocturnal: animals active at night.

Crepuscular: active at dawn or dusk.

Spinifex Hopping Mice

CommunicationCommunication can be through touch,

posture, sound, visual display and chemical signals

As with all behaviours, communication behaviour occurs in response to a stimulus.

Can be:AcousticChemicalVisual

Frogs communicating

Communication Underwater

Sound is an important means of communication underwater as it travels long distances.

Whales: whales use sound to identify and locate each other, or during courtship (the male advertises his sexual availability to the female)

Dolphins: communicate information through sounds, and use them for navigation (Echolocation)

Sperm whales communicating

Social and Territorial Interactions

Social interactions involve two or more individuals and may involve cooperation as in mating or food gathering.

These may also involve aggression or conflict, e.g. fighting for a mate or territory.

Courtship and reproductive behaviours may enable identification of different species that look physically identical, e.g. Ravens.

ReproductiveWeedy Sea Dragons -

Courtship Dance and Birth

Funny Courtship Dances Of Our Feathered Friends

David Attenborough - Animal behaviour of the Australian bowerbird - BBC wildlife

Learned Behaviours

Learned behavior is not instinctive.

Animals are not born knowing what to do or how to do it.

Experience & parental guidance is crucial for this type of behaviour.

LEARNED BEHAVIOURS

Conditioning

The modification of behaviour in an animal as a result of the association between to stimuli

Pavlovs Experiment

Can anyone explain Pavlov’s

experiment?

Operant ConditioningA learning procedure in which

a reinforcement follows a particular response on

Big Bang Theory

What are the different types of

reinforcements are there?

ObservationalAlso called Modelling.Observational learning occurs when

someone uses observation of another person's actions and their consequences to guide their future actions.

Can you think of any behaviours that you have

learnt by observation?

ImprintingImprinting is the

process by which young individuals of a species acquire irreversible behaviour patterns of that species.Learning is limited to

a set time period (called critical period).

Generally irreversible, lifelong patterns of behaviour are established.

HabituationA simple form of learning, in which an animal,

after a period of exposure to a stimulus, stops responding.

Why is habituation important for animals?Animals come to learn to respond to stimuli,

such as particular noise a predator makes.However, if an animal was to react to every

noise it would waste a lot of time reacting to non-threatening situations.

Habituation enables animals to distinguish the unimportant noises and shapes from those that are important.

RESEARCH TASK