PNB 2XC3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Social Cue, Sexual Selection

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour
• Course: PNB 2XC3
• Professor: Reuven Dukas

Document Summary

Mechanisms that change behaviour over time: evolution and learning. Animals exhibit a wide variety of behaviours, all have originated through either evolution or learning. A change over generations in the proportions of individual organisms differing genetically in or more traits. Microbial evolution and growth are (mega) plate (120x60 cm) Visual observation of bacterial evolution on a large antibiotic landscape. Bacteria can mutate to become resistant to extremely high concentrations of antibiotic very quickly: became resistance to 1000x antibiotic concentration after 11 days. Evolution (most important factor: sexual selection, mutations. Experience-based adaption": responses to external stressors, acclimatization, sweating, pupil dilation, altitude. Development: growth/aging, changing hormone levels, epigenetics. Medium ground finch: there is heritable individual variation in beak depth. Effects of beak size on feeding ability: Individuals with large beaks are more efficient at cracking open and feeding on large, tough seeds. Individuals with small beaks are more efficient at feeding on small seeds. Variation in weather and seeds between years.