01:119:115 Lecture 23: Biology- Lecture 23 (Animal Behavior - Chapter 51.1 - 51.4)
13 Jul 2016
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What are animal behavior: action carried out by muscles under control of nervous system, set of adaptations that equip animal for survival in particular environment, product of natural selection on phenotype, ways that maximize fitness. Fiddler crabs use claw waving to repel other males and to attract females. Behavioral ecology study of the ecological and evolutionary basis for animal behavior. Suggested that understand any behavior requires answering 4 questions: 2 why questions: ultimate causation: proximate causation. Proximate cause: triggered by increasing day length, photoreceptors stimulated for longer periods of time trigger neural and hormonal changes result in behavior related to breeding building nest, courtship, mating, ultimate causation. Bluegill sunfish (and many other animals) breed in spring. H2o warm & food abundant allow fast growth of young. Fish breeding in spring probably more offspring than fish breeding in fall, winter or late summer.
