PART VII BEHAVIOR

AND

ECOLOGY

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ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
CHAPTER REVIEW
An animal is organized to carry out behaviors that help it survive and reproduce. Hybrid studies with warblers show that behavior has a genetic basis. The nervous and endocrine systems control behavior, as shown by garter snake experiments and snail ( Aplysia ) DNA studies. A behavior sometimes undergoes development after birth, as exemplified by improvement in laughing gull chick begging behavior. Learning occurs when a behavior changes with practice. Experiments teaching male birds to sing in their species dialect show that various factorssuch as social experienceinfluence whether or not learning takes place. Since genes influence behavior, it is reasonable to assume that adaptive behavioral traits will evolve. Both sexes are expected to behave in a manner that will raise their reproductive success. Females who produce only one egg a month are expected to choose the best mate, and males who produce many sperm are expected to inseminate as many females as possible. Sexual selection is natural selection due to mate choice by females and competition among males. Do females choose mates who have the best traits for survival or simply the ones to whom they are attracted? Or are these hypotheses one and the same? Experiments with satin bowerbirds and birds of paradise were inconclusive. Food sources can influence reproductive behavior, however, as shown by observations of birds of paradise. A cost-benefit analysis is particularly applicable to male competition. A dominance hierarchy, as seen in baboons, and establishment of a territory, as seen in red deer, are two ways in which strong males get to reproduce more than weaker males. Do the nonmating males receive a benefit? And are the costs within reason for the mating males? Experiments are still being conducted. Communication between animals consists of chemical, auditory, visual, and tactile signals. Social living can help an animal avoid predators, rear offspring, and find food. Disadvantages include fighting among members, spread of a contagious disease, and the possibility of subordination to others. Altruistic behavior seems self-sacrificing until we consider the concept of inclusive fitness, which includes personal reproductive success and the reproductive success of relatives. Among social insects, sisters share 75% of their genes rather than 50%. This makes it more likely that they will help raise siblings.

S T U DY E X E R C I S E S
Study the text section by section as you answer the questions that follow.

32.1 GENETIC BASIS

OF

BEHAVIOR (P . 672)

Behaviors have a genetic basis but can also be influenced by environmental factors. The nervous and endocrine systems have immediate control over behaviors. 1. Describe an experiment and results concerning Cape Verde blackcap warblers (those that do not migrate) and German blackcap warblers (that migrate to Africa). experiment a. ______________________________________________________________________________________ results b. __________________________________________________________________________________________ conclusion c. ______________________________________________________________________________________

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2. Inland garter snakes eat frogs, and coastal garter snakes eat slugs. Arnold discovered that inland snakes do not respond to the smell of slugs, and hybrids generally have only an intermediate ability to respond to the smell of slugs. What did he conclude? 3. Egg-laying behavior of Aplysia involves a set sequence of movements. Investigators found that the gene that controls behavior codes for hormones. What is the conclusion?

32.2 DEVELOPMENT

OF

BEHAVIOR (P . 674)

Behaviors sometimes undergo development after birth, as when learning affects behavior. 4. Indicate whether the following statements about Hailmans experiment with laughing gull chicks are true (T) or false (F): a. Laughing gull chicks seek their own food. b. Motor development helps explain why the pecking behavior of chicks improves. c. Operant conditioninga form of learninghelps explain why older chicks choose a model that looks more like the parent. 5. Explain question 4 c here. 6. Due to imprinting, chicks follow the first moving object they see. In relation to this observation, explain the following: sensitive period a. __________________________________________________________________________________ need for social interaction b. ________________________________________________________________________ 7. The following diagram illustrates experiments studying how birds learn to sing:

Explain each of the frames. first a. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ second b. __________________________________________________________________________________________ third c. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ What conclusion is appropriate? d. ___________________________________________________________________

32.3 ADAPTIVENESS

OF

BEHAVIOR (P . 676)

Natural selection influences such behaviors as methods of feeding, selecting a home, and reproducing.

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8. Indicate whether the following statements about the adaptive nature of behavior are true (T) or false (F): a. Behavior has a genetic basis. b. Certain behaviors can improve reproductive success. c. The nervous and endocrine systems control behavior. 9. With reference to the reproductive behavior of satin bowerbirds, females chose males with well-kept bowers that contained blue objects. Why might this be supportive of the good genes hypothesis? 10. With reference to the reproductive behavior of birds of paradise, perhaps females choose the males with spectacular plumes because it signifies a. ______________ or because their sons will be b. ______________ to females also. It was also found that raggiana offspring are fed a more c. ______________ food than those of the related species, the trumpet manucode. This seems to correlate with the fact that the birds of paradise are
d. ______________,

while the trumpet manucode birds are e. ______________. Birds are monogamous when it

takes two parents to f. ______________ the offspring. 11. In terms of a cost-benefit analysis, what is the benefit to dominant males in a baboon troop? a. What are the costs? b. ______________________________________________________________________________ What is the benefit to subordinate males in a baboon troop? c. ___________________________________________ What are the costs? d. ______________________________________________________________________________ Why do you predict that the benefits for each must outweigh the costs? e. _________________________________

32.4 ANIMALS SOCIETIES (P . 680)

Animals living in societies have various means of communicating with one another. 12. Match the descriptions with the following terms: 1 chemical communication 2 auditory communication 3 visual communication 4 tactile communication a. Honeybees do a waggle dance in dark hive. b. Male raggiana birds of paradise do spectacular courtship dances. c. Birds sing songs. d. Cheetahs spray a pheromone onto a tree.

32.5 SOCIOBIOLOGY

AND

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR (P . 683)

Apparently, altruistic behavior only occurs if it actually benefits the animal. 13. Indicate whether the statements that follow are true (T) or false (F). Change all false statements to true statements. a. Subordinate males have less chance to mate, but group living may help them survive. Rewrite: b. Animals that live alone may have to spend less time grooming. Rewrite: c. Animals that capture large prey tend to live alone. Rewrite: d. The cost of social living outweighs the benefits, but animals like being with others. Rewrite:

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14. Match the statements with the following terms (multiple answers are possible): 1 altruism 2 inclusive fitness 3 helpers at the nest 4 reciprocity a. Males do not prevent receptive female chimpanzees from copulating with several members of a group. b. A behavior seems to be self-sacrificing. c. Older siblings take care of younger siblings. d. Worker bees do not reproduce and instead help raise siblings. e. A younger bird helps an older bird raise its young but takes over the territory when the older bird dies.

CHAPTER TEST
OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
Do not refer to the text when taking this test. 1. Which of these pertain(s) to behavior? a. The heart pumps blood into the arteries. b. Ants lay a pheromone trail to guide other ants. c. Birds have warning calls. d. Both b and c are correct. 2. A mechanistic question a. is the same as a survival value question. b. pertains to a mechanism of behavior. c. pertains to behavior that results from evolution. d. Both b and c are correct. For questions 37, match the statements to the following descriptions of behavior: a. Behavior has a genetic basis. b. The nervous and endocrine systems control behavior. c. Behavior undergoes development. 3. Hybrid studies with warblers reveal this. 4. Garter snakes differ in their ability to smell slugs. 5. Laughing gull chicks improve in their ability to recognize their parent. 6. Egg-laying behavior in Aplysia reveals this. 7. Caged birds can learn to sing their species song if they hear a recording of it during a sensitive period. 8. The pecking improvement of laughing gull chicks a. can be explained by operant conditioning. b. correlates with improved motor skills. c. is a form of learning. d. All of these are correct. 9. A sensitive period for learning was observed when a. hybrid garter snakes were intermediate in their ability to smell slugs. b. captive birds learned to sing a more developed song by hearing a recording. c. imprinting occurred. d. Both b and c are correct. 10. The adaptiveness of behavior may be associated with which statement(s)? a. Behavior has a genetic basis. b. The nervous and endocrine systems control behavior. c. Behaviorists ask causal questions. d. All of these are correct. 11. Which of these is NOT consistent with reproduction in females? a. selecting the best mate possible b. having a higher potential to produce many offspring c. nurturing offspring until they can care for themselves d. producing few eggs over a lifetime 12. Male competition leads to a. dominance hierarchies and reduction in fighting. b. defense of a territory. c. neglect of the young. d. Both a and b are correct. 13. A cost-benefit analysis can explain a. why subordinate males remain in a group. b. why red deer males are large despite the chances of it shortening their life span. c. why older siblings take care of younger siblings. d. All of these are correct. 14. Inclusive fitness explains a. seemingly altruistic behavior. b. why older siblings help raise younger siblings. c. the benefit of being a worker bee. d. All of these are correct.

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THOUGHT QUESTIONS
Answer in complete sentences. 15. What evidence shows that behavior is inherited?

16. According to the tenets of sociobiology, is the behavior of animals altruistic?

Test Results: ______ Number right 16 = ______ 100 = ______ %

ANSWER KEY
STUDY EXERCISES
1. a. Mate the two types of warblers. b. Hybrids show migratory restlessness. c. Hybrids inherit genes from both parents and therefore show behavior intermediate between the two. 2. The nervous system controls the eating behavior of garter snakes. 3. Hormones also control behavior. 4. a. F b. T c. T 5. Due to operant conditioning, chicks learn to peck correctly (i.e., only at models that closely resemble the parent) because in that way they are rewarded with food. 6. a. Behavior is best learned during a sensitive period immediately after birth. b. Clucking by a hen that has recently had chicks can bring about the behavior even outside the sensitive period. 7. a. Isolated bird sings but does not learn to sing the species song. b. Bird learns to sing the song if a recording is played during a sensitive period. c. Bird learns to sing the song of a social tutor of another species outside a sensitive period. d. Social interactions help learning take place. 8. a. T b. T c. T 9. Aggressive males are able to have well-kept bowers, and this behavior, which may be inherited, may lead to reproductive success. 10. a. health b. attractive c. nutritious d. polygamous e. monogamous f. feed 11. a. first chance to mate b. might be injured protecting the troop c. protection d. less frequent chance to mate e. because the behavior evolved through natural selection 12. a. 4 b. 3 c. 2 d. 1 13. a. T b. T c. F; . . . tend to live in a group d. F; The benefits of social living outweigh the costs or else animals would not live in a group. 14. a. 2 b. 1, 3 c. 1, 2, 3 d. 1, 2, 3 e. 4

CHAPTER TEST
1. d 2. d 3. a 4. b 5. c 6. b 7. c 8. d 9. d 10. a 11. b 12. d 13. d 14. d 15. Experimentation has shown that behavior has a genetic basis. Hybrid warblers show migratory restlessness, a trait intermediate to both parents, indicating that behavior is inherited. Hybrid garter snakes generally have an intermediate ability to smell slugs. Since behavior has a genetic basis, it has to be inherited. 16. It may appear to be altruistic but may be explainable by inclusive fitnesswhich depends not only on the number of direct descendants due to personal reproduction but also on the number of offspring produced by relatives that the individual has helped nurture.

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