BEHAVIOR AND THE
ENVIRONMENT
C
Prepared by: Ms. Mace Derraco
Approaches to the Study of Behavior
• The study of animal behavior, how animals respond
to stimuli in their environment, includes examining
how and why the behavior occurs.
• Both instinct (nature) and learning (nurture) plays
significant roles in behavior.
Instinctive Behavioral Patterns
• Instinctive or innate behaviors are
those that are the same in all
individuals od a species and appear
to be controlled by preset pathways
in the nervous system.
• A sign stimulus triggers the
behavior, called a fixed action
pattern, such as egg retrieval in
geese shown in the picture.
Genetic effects on Behavior
• Most behaviors are not “hard-wired”
instincts. Instead, they are strongly
influenced by genes, and so they can
be studied as inherited traits.
• Hybrids, twins, and genetically altered
mice have used to study genetically
influenced behaviors.
How Animals Learn
• Many behaviors are learned, having been formed or altered based
on previous experiences.
• Classical conditioning results when two stimuli are paired such as
that animal learns to associate the two stimuli.
• Operant conditioning results when an animal associates a behavior
with a reward or punishment.
• Imprinting is when an animal forms social attachments, usually
during a critical window of time.
Instinct and Learning Interact
• Behavior is often both genetically determined (instinctive) and modified by
learning. Genes can limit the extent to which a behavior can be modified
through learning. Ecology has a lot to do with behavior, and knowing an
animal’s ecological niche can reveal much about its behavior.
Animal Cognition
• While humans have evolved a great capacity for
cognitive thought, studies shows that other animals
possess varying degrees of cognitive abilities.
Some behaviors in animals show conscious
planning ahead. Still other animals show problem-
solving abilities. When presented with a novel
situation, such as a piece of meat dangling out of
reach of a raven, these animals respond to the
situation in a problem-solving capacity.
Behavioral Ecology
• Behavioral ecology is the study of how natural selection
shapes behavior. Only behaviors that have a genetic basis
and offer some advantage for survival or reproduction can be
acted upon through natural selection.
A Cost- Analysis of Behavior
• For every behavior that offers an individual an
advantage for survival, there is usually an associated
cost.
• Example, foraging and territorial behaviors, exhibited
by this sunbird offer a benefit by providing food and
shelter for the individual and their offspring but may
endanger the parents through predation or expenditure
of energy.
• The benefits have to outweigh the costs in order for
the behaviors to be favored by natural selection.
Migratory Behavior
• Migration is a behavior that changes
throughout the life of an animal.
• Inexperienced animals seem to rely on
compass sense (following a direction).
• Experienced animals may rely more on
map sense (learned ability to alter the
path based on location.)
Reproductive Behaviors
• Behaviors that maximize reproduction
are favored by natural selection. Often,
these behaviors involve mate choice,
mating systems, and parenting
behaviors.
• Mate choice has led to the evolution of
complex courtship behaviors and ornate
physical characteristics.
Social Behavior
• Communication Within Social Groups
• Communication is a behavior found in animals that live
in groups or societies. Some animals secrete chemical
pheromones to communicate information to others.
• Others use movements , like the waggle dance of the
honeybee shown here from the figure.
• Although not as complex as human language, auditory
signals can be used by other animals to communicate a
great deal of information.
Altruism and Group Living
• Altruistic behaviors evolved in
animals that live in groups. The
reason why may involve the
reciprocation of altruistic acts or
benefits for relatives called kin
selection.
Animal Societies
• Many types of animals live
in social groups, or
societies. Some insect
societies are highly
structured.
Human Social Behavior
• Both genetics and learning
play key roles in human
behaviors, but the extent of
each is hotly debated.
