No area of Biology involves a wider range of topics than animal behavior (also called ethology). The behavior of a species can be studied at any of the levels of organization you investigated in a previous lesson. We will touch upon some of these approaches in the reading for this lesson.
Learning Objectives: Successful students will be able to ...
- compare and contrast the characteristics of "innate" and "learned" behaviors
- explain why most behaviors are a blend of instinctive and learned behavior and describe in detail examples of this fact.
- name scientists who made significant contributions to the study of animal behavior and summarize their work.
- describe the characteristics and examples of simple taxes, reflex, and instinctive behaviors.
- describe the characteristics and examples of learned behaviors such as habituation, sensitization, imprinting, conditioned responses, and operant conditioning.
Lesson One: Innate Behavior.
The term "innate behavior" is not popular in some circles because it suggest an invariant, almost mechanical control of behavior independent of conscious control or influence of experience. This is an overly exaggerated view of innate behavior and you will see that there is a large body of scientific work that more accurately characterizes these behaviors. Go to the section on Innate Behavior in Kimball's Biology Pages and from there follow the link to the section on taxes. Appreciate that these behaviors are a very simple response to environmental signals that help the organism (or cell in an organism) orient itself in the environment. Be able to discuss some examples of these taxes and consider why they are so efficient for simple organisms such as bacteria.
Read the section of reflexes. Know the basic elements of the nervous system involved such as the sensory, inter, and motor neurons. Do not spend time with the links to the various types of sensory neurons; we deal with that latter in the year. Understand that these reflexes are systems of nerves organized to produce a quick, predictable, usually unconscious response to environmental stimuli.
Spend most of your time in this section with the material on instincts. Understand the similarities to and the important differences from reflexes. Most important appreciate that these are inherited patterns of behavior that involve the behavior of the entire organism. Be particularly aware of the interrelationships between internal and external stimuli. Be able to briefly describe several examples of instincts. Do not get bogged down in the genetics of foraging behavior. This is an example to show how instincts are inherited. We deal with genetics in much more detail latter on in the year.
Homework, Due 18 August. Go to this web site and work through the slide show on Concepts In Behavior (or ethology). Here you will find a nice overview of some classic experiments and a discussion of their significance to how animals relate to one another and their physical environment. Using your Fontbonne account, email answers to the following questions.
- What is the difference between the proximate and ultimate causes of behavior? Explain this difference using the experiments of Tinbergen and Lorenz as examples.
- What is a "fixed action pattern" (or FAPs) and why do scientists such as Tinbergen and Lorenz often study these behaviors in the animals' natural environment rather than in a laboratory setting?
- Are FAP's necessarily solely the product of genetically programmed behaviors? Describe two examples from your readings to support your answer.
Image of Sand Digger Wasp from NaturFoto-CZ.
Lesson Two: Learned Behavior.
Now go to the section of Kimball's Pages on Learned Behavior. Here you will find a list of several different types of learned behaviors. Appreciate that the distinctions are not always clear cut in the laboratory experiment or in nature. Be able to describe the process of habituation and sensitization and give examples. These are considered to be very simple forms of learning. Think about how they may play an important role in making your day to day life more bearable. Imprinting is an unusual form of learning since it is usually associated with very specific function and takes place during narrowly defined times. Check out the section on aposematic coloration for a similar situation in blue jays feeding on butterflies. Consider how this situation is similar to the imprinting of birds on their mother.
Be able to describe and compare learning by a conditioned response and by instrumental conditioning (often called operant conditioning). Appreciate the role of the conditioning stimulus in each case and the nature of the response. Think about which of these two types of behavior would be the easier to learn and why. Consider the trained animal acts you may have seen; what types of learning do these animals show?
Homework, Due 25 August. Over the years scientists and others have debated the issue of the origin of behaviors (especially in humans). The question is whether or not behavior has its origins in our genes (inherited instincts) or do animals learn their behaviors from experience. This lesson introduces you to some of the work that has led to the more rational approach that, not surprisingly, most behaviors are a complex blend of both innate and learned elements. Go to the Animal Behavior internet lesson and email me your answers using your Fontbonne Academy account. Note that the web site you are going to has been reorganized a bit since this lesson was written. Just follow all the links to Animal Behaviour and you should get to the section that says "the role of nature and nurture in the development of behaviour."
Image of the White Crowned Sparrow from Whatbird. Go here for this bird's repertoire of songs.
Comments