Animal Behavior quiz Flashcards

Animal behavior is defined as the actions an organism takes in response to stimuli, including interactions with other organisms and the environment.

Behavioral ecology studies animal behavior and the ecological pressures that influence it.

Behavioral ecologists are interested in proximate causation (how behaviors occur in mechanistic terms) and ultimate causation (why behaviors occur and their evolutionary function).

An example of an innate behavior in geese is the mother goose rolling an egg back into the nest when it rolls out.

A fixed action pattern is an innate behavior that shows little variation and is triggered by a specific stimulus.

A sign stimulus is an external cue that triggers a fixed action pattern, such as the red belly of a male stickleback fish.

Spatial learning involves establishing a spatial memory of the environment, often referred to as a cognitive map.

Imprinting is when an animal learns the characteristics of a stimulus, usually occurring during a sensitive period early in life.

Pheromones are chemical signals released into the environment that allow organisms to communicate with each other.

A stimulus response chain is a sequence of behaviors where each action serves as a stimulus for the next response, seen in behaviors like fruit fly courtship.

Deceitful communication is when an organism sends false signals to fool another organism, such as an opossum playing dead.

Foraging behavior includes searching for, identifying, capturing, and eating food.

The optimal foraging model suggests that natural selection favors foraging behaviors that minimize costs and maximize benefits.

Monogamy involves one male mating with one female, while polygamy involves an individual mating with multiple partners of the opposite sex.

Mate choice copying is when individuals are more likely to mate with an individual who has previously mated, observed in species like guppies.