A S L 3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 29: African Wild Dog, Nikolaas Tinbergen, Ethology
Animal behaviour
Animal behaviour: explain mechanisms & function of behaviour & evolution of biological
diversity
Behavioural ecology: How physical environment impacts on animal’s behaviour & its
evolution
Socio-biology: How animal’s social environment affects their behaviour & its evolution
What is cause of behaviour & what is function of behaviour
Campbell Biology (Reece et al.,): 10thEdition: Chapter 52; 9thEdition: Chapter 51.
What is behaviour?
How animal interacts with itself, with others & physical environment
“what an animal does” (raven & Johnson)
Co-ordinated responses to internal & external stimuli
“Why do male starlings sing in spring?”
Niko Tinbergen
4 types of question:
1. Mechanistic- what & how
2. Survival value-reproduction
3. Developmental
4. Evolutionary/phylogenetic
Proximate: increase in day length triggers hormonal changes, learn song from parents
Ultimate: Attracts mates, complex songs evolved from simple ancestral calls
Comes back to natural selection, how animal’s behaviour is adapted to its environment
Example: African wild dog hunting
• Hunting behaviour (phenotype) result of genetic makeup (genotype)
• Evolutionary past: hunting as group increased amount of meat = more offspring
• Group hunting allele increases in frequency
• Whole pop hunts in groups
Darwin’s theory of natural selection
1. Variation: Individuals within a species differ in their morphology, physiology and
behaviour.
2. Competition: Scarce resources (food, mates and shelter).
3. Success/Fitness consequences: Those with characteristics that enable them to compete
more effectively will survive and pass on their characteristics to more offspring (natural
selection).
4. inheritance: some variation is heritable; on average offspring will represent their parents
more than other individuals in pop
5. Adaption: over time & multiple generations a species becomes adapted to its
environment
Document Summary
Animal behaviour: explain mechanisms & function of behaviour & evolution of biological diversity. Behavioural ecology: how physical environment impacts on animal"s behaviour & its evolution. Socio-biology: how animal"s social environment affects their behaviour & its evolution. What is cause of behaviour & what is function of behaviour. Campbell biology (reece et al. ,): 10thedition: chapter 52; 9thedition: chapter 51. How animal interacts with itself, with others & physical environment. 4 types of question: mechanistic- what & how, survival value-reproduction, developmental, evolutionary/phylogenetic. Proximate: increase in day length triggers hormonal changes, learn song from parents. Ultimate: attracts mates, complex songs evolved from simple ancestral calls. Comes back to natural selection, how animal"s behaviour is adapted to its environment. Example: african wild dog hunting: hunting behaviour (phenotype) result of genetic makeup (genotype, evolutionary past: hunting as group increased amount of meat = more offspring, group hunting allele increases in frequency, whole pop hunts in groups.
