Chapter 6 Opener: The leafy sea dragon

Chapter 6

Behavioral adaptation for survival

Sea dragon

Survival-enhancing

resemblance to sea

grasses

6.2 Two black-headed gulls on their nests

Adaption (or an adapted trait)

-A hereditary trait that resulted from the past selection

or ongoing selection

-Not always guarantees the reproductive success

-Determined by the ratio between fitness costs and

benefits (C <B)

-There are “ Constraints” on adaptive perfection

1) Failure of appropriate mutations to occur

2) Pleiotropy: mutation always causes + or - effects

3) Coevolution

6.2 Two black-headed gulls on their nests

Failure of appropriate mutations to occur

Maladaptive or Nonadaptive behaviors

-Arctic moths live in regions where bats are absence can hear USV

-Arctic ground squirrel respond to snakes (there is no snakes in arctic areas)

-Man-made environment

1) road-killing

2) male frogs or toads attempting mating on the road-killed female

3) Buprestid beetles trying to copulate with beer bottle

4) Sea turtle die from eating plastic bags (=jelly fish)

Why we have some useless behaviors?

6.2 Two black-headed gulls on their nests

Pleiotropy: mutation always causes + or - effects

Fur increasing mutation

Increase body temperature

Increasing metabolic rate

More explorations to get foods

More visible to predator

More experience of attacks

Less exploratory behaviors

Or foraging at night

6.2 Two black-headed gulls on their nests

Coevolution:

Contests between the hunters and hunted

The hunters The hunted

Evolve behaviors

to catch preys

Evolve behaviors to

escape from the hunter

Adaption Adaption

Adaption does not reach to stability

There is no perfection!

Interactions and coevolutions

6.1 Mobbing behavior of colonial, ground-nesting gulls

Threatening vocalizations!!

6.1 Mobbing behavior of colonial, ground-nesting gulls

Mobbing behaviors toward a fox

6.2 Two black-headed gulls on their nests

Kruuk‟s Adaptationist approach

on the mobbing behaviors of the black-headed gull

Why they nest together and defense together…

6.3 Does mobbing protect eggs?

Hen egg experiments: locate eggs at area with different proximity to the nest

And count the number of egg eaten by predator

# attack is proportional to the proximity to the nest

# attack is correlate with the % success of predation

6.3 Does mobbing protect eggs?

What is the cost of mobbing behaviors?

What is the benefits of mobbing behaviors?

Inside colonyBorderOutside colony

B>CB=CB<C

The cost/benefit assessment

6.4 Benefit of high nest density for the arctic skua

High density nesting

B > C

6.3 Does mobbing protect eggs?

How to test the Adaptationist hypothesis?

One way is using the comparative methods

“ The mobbing behavior is an adaptive trait

resulting from the evolution of the black-headed gull

6.6 Not all gulls nest on the ground

The advantage of cliff-nesting

Turbulent coastal wild prevent

predator’s approaching

Black-headed gulls

Kittiewakes

Kittiewakes

6.5 Gull phylogeny and two scenarios for the origin of cliff-nesting behavior (Part 1)

Hypothesis 1

6.5 Gull phylogeny and two scenarios for the origin of cliff-nesting behavior (Part 2)

Hypothesis 2

6.5 Gull phylogeny and two scenarios for the origin of cliff-nesting behavior (Part 2)

Which one is more plausible?

In terms of ‘Occam’s razor’

The Law of Parsimony or The Law of succinctness

The simpler hypothesis is more stronger

6.7 The logic of the comparative method

6.8 Colonial California ground squirrels have evolved mobbing behavior

The cost/benefit assessment in ground squirrels‟

mobbing behaviors

Kicking send in the face of snake

What if the snake is ‘larger’ and ‘warmer’ snakes

Risk increases The mobbing behaviors decrease

6.9 Evidence for a cost of parental mobbing behavior

As pups are grown, parental mobbing is decreasing

The cost/benefit ratio is precisely assessed

6.10 The dilution effect in butterfly groups (Part 1)

Gathering behaviors for the „Dilution effect‟

United we stand, divided we fall!!!

6.10 The dilution effect in butterfly groups (Part 2)

6.11 The dilution effect in mayflies

6.12 Fighting back by terns and wasps

6.13 Communal defense by sawfly larvae

6.14 A group of sleeping bees

6.15 Cryptic coloration depends on background selection

camouflage

6.16 The camouflaged moth, Biston betularia

6.17 Predation risk and background selection by moths

6.18 Cryptic coloration and body orientation

6.19 Does cryptic behavior work?

Similar color reduce 10~ 20% risk of predation

6.20 The value of a backpack (Part 1)

Assassin bugs like a backpack

6.20 The value of a backpack (Part 2)

6.21 Personal hygiene by a skipper butterfly larva may be an antipredator adaptation

Waste pellets odors attacked by wasps

Fecal ball discharging

6.22 Warning coloration and toxins

Some Darwinian puzzles

6.23 Effect of monarch butterfly toxins

Taste aversion

Monarch butterfly: warning colorations

Cost: death of individual

Benefit: survival of neighbors

6.24 Why behave conspicuously?

A Code Breaker

A tephritid fly

A jumping spider

How to test this idea?

6.24 Why behave conspicuously?

A Code Breaker

Science, 1987

Tephritid fly Normal fly Hybrid wings

Both coloration and movement of wings are relevant for survival

6.25 An advertisement of unprofitability to deter pursuit?

A „Spotting‟ behavior

Catch me please…

6.25 An advertisement of unprofitability to deter pursuit?

A „Spotting‟ behavior

The anti-ambush hypothesis

Occurs only in the tall-grass habitats

6.25 An advertisement of unprofitability to deter pursuit?

A „Spotting‟ behavior

Alarm signal hypothesis A lion is approaching!

Social cohesion hypothesis Let’ make a group and flee!

Confusion effect hypothesis

Causes confusion to predator

Pursuit deterrence hypothesisCome on…I am so healthy like this!

you may be difficult to catch me!

Alarm signal hypothesis A lion is approaching!

Social cohesion hypothesis Let’ make a group and flee!

Confusion effect hypothesis Causes confusion to predator

Pursuit deterrence hypothesis Come on…you may be difficult to catch me!

6.26 Cheetahs abandon hunts more often when gazelles stot

When gazelle stots, abandon rate increases!

6.27 Are pushup displays an honest signal of a lizard’s physiological condition?

6.27 Are pushup displays an honest signal of a lizard’s physiological condition?

6.27 Are pushup displays an honest signal of a lizard’s physiological condition?

6.27 Are pushup displays an honest signal of a lizard’s physiological condition?

Bluffing behaviors

6.28 The lizard Cnemidophorus murinus often waves a forearm at humans that disturb it

A Salutation?

This is a pursuit deterrence signals

6.29 Fear screams and age in four European songbirds

Fear scream of captured animals

1) Non-adaptive…just from pain

2) An adaptive trait to make a predator startle which may

cause to release the captured prey

3) Warning conspecifics of danger from the predator

4) SOS to parents (baby > adults)

5) Attraction of other predator to induce competition

Birds living with dense cover should generate

more louder scream than birds of open

habitats

6.29 Fear screams and age in four European songbirds

6.30 An optimality model

6.31 Optimal covey size for northern bobwhite quail (Part 1)

6.31 Optimal covey size for northern bobwhite quail (Part 2)

6.31 Optimal covey size for northern bobwhite quail (Part 3)

Individuals behave toward the maximization of averaged net benefits

Game theory applied to social defense

Game theory economists share 2005 Nobel prizeIsraeli-American and American win for work on political, economic conflict

Robert J. Aumann, left, and Thomas C.

Schelling won this year's Noel memorial

prize in economic sciences for work they

did separately on game theory, which can

help resolve conflicts.

6.32 Selfish herds may evolve in prey species

Adelie penguins wait on ice for sometime until a group assembles

6.33 A game theoretical model

P: The fitness pay off for solitary living

B: Benefit by hiding behind neighbors

C: Cost to get the benefits

An averaged value does not explain the adaptation

but individual strategy determine it

Selfish herd

How about human society?

Explain based on

The optimality theory vs. The game theory

Summary of hypothesis

Behavioral adaption for survival

1) The adaptationist approach (B-C>0)

2) The optimality theory

3) The game theory

Summary of hypothesis

Midterm exam.

-16th March 10:30 am

-How to prepare?1) Read the chapter summary first

2) Check-out major concepts

3) Solve the discussion questions