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Behavioral Ecology

This document discusses key concepts in behavioral ecology, including proximate vs ultimate causation of behaviors, innate behaviors and how they can be modified by learning, dominance hierarchies, territoriality, and use of pheromones and other signals. It provides examples of behaviors studied, such as nest building in Magnolia warblers, tucking behavior in lovebirds, reconciliation in chimpanzees, and territory defense in redwing blackbirds. The overarching themes are that behavior is influenced by both genetics and environment, and behaviors evolve to maximize an animal's fitness.

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424 views16 pages

Behavioral Ecology

This document discusses key concepts in behavioral ecology, including proximate vs ultimate causation of behaviors, innate behaviors and how they can be modified by learning, dominance hierarchies, territoriality, and use of pheromones and other signals. It provides examples of behaviors studied, such as nest building in Magnolia warblers, tucking behavior in lovebirds, reconciliation in chimpanzees, and territory defense in redwing blackbirds. The overarching themes are that behavior is influenced by both genetics and environment, and behaviors evolve to maximize an animal's fitness.

Uploaded by

rvshn
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Behavioral Ecology

Ecology - the study of the interaction of


organisms and their environment (including
the biotic environment)
Ecology and evolutionary biology are closely
related disciplines: an important cause of
evolutionary change is the interaction of
organisms with their environment.
Behavior: what an animal does and how it does it.
Proximate vs. Ultimate Causation:

Proximate explanations are mechanistic ones.

Ultimate explanations address the evolutionary


significance of a behavior.
Q. Why do Magnolia warblers
build their nests in the spring-
time?
Proximate explanation:
increasing day length triggers
nesting behavior

Ultimate explanation: Magnolia


warblers who nest in the spring-
Magnolia warbler time leave more offspring than
those who nest later in the year.
Tucking behavior
in lovebirds
demonstrates that
behavior has both
a genetic and an
environmental
component.

Inference: approach to nest


building is genetically determined.

Inference: innate behavior can be


modified by learning.
Innate behaviors are developmentally fixed.
Behavioral ecology emphasizes evolutionary
explanations: an animal showing optimal
behavior will maximize its fitness.
Agonistic behavior – a contest to determine which
competitor gains access to resources (food, mates, etc.)
Chimps, which live in social groups often show reconciliation behavior
following a conflict.
Dominance hierarchy - a linear social organization within a group.

The top ranked animals are assured access to resources. Low ranked
animals do not waste energy or risk harm in combat.
Territory – a territory is an area an animal defends, keeping out
members of their own kind (species). Territories are used for
feeding, mating, and rearing young.

Redwing blackbird
Territorial boundaries are proclaimed by scent,
song, howling, or other vocalization.
Pheromone - a volatile chemical
produced by one animal that elicits
a change in another’s behavior.

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