What is behavior?
Behavior is the way an organism reacts to stimuli in its environment. Some behaviors are very simple like moving away from heat or toward light. Other behaviors can be very complex.
-Reorienting yourself do to a response to stimuli is known as taxis
-Aerotaxis- Response to oxygen
-Chemotaxis- Response to chemicals
-Energy taxis - Moves because it needs to burn energy
-Phototaxis- movement in response to light
-Thermotaxis- towards a temperature gradient
-Gravitaxis- (Known as geotaxis) Movement due to gravity.
-Plankton move up to get to the surface of the water
-Rheotaxis- In response to a current in fluid
-Magnetotaxis- in response to magnetic fields
-Galvanotaxis/electrotaxis- Directional movement in response to electric fields
-Phonotaxis- Response to sound
-Thigmotaxis- Response to physical contact or proximity
Assignment: Response to Stimuli Comic
Innate behavior is behavior that an organism starts with. Another name for that is instinct. Innate behavior is not learned. Animals simply know how to do things without having ever done them before.
Examples of innate behavior are mammals suckling, spiders spinning webs, birds building nests, the just know how to do it. Scientists still do not fully understand how instinct works. We know that the information is genetic and that it has to do with neuron formation but we do not understand how.
Discussion: What are some human Innate behaviors?
What is the difference between an instinctive behavior and a reflex? It can be hard to tell the differences.
Acquiring changes in behavior throughout an animals life are called learned behavior.
Habituation: The simplest type of learning. When an animal slowly decreases or stops its response to a stimulus
Classical Conditioning: This type of learning is when a stimulus is associate with a different stimulus. This can be a positive or negative association.
Operant Conditioning: In this type of learning an animal learns to behave a certain way over time and practice by being rewarded for the behavior.
Observational Learning - This is a copied behavior. When an animal observes another member complete a behavior and then it is copied.
Insight Learning: This is one of the most complicated types of learning. This is when an animal applies something it has already learned to a new situation without having to go through a trial and error process.
Complex Behaviors often arise by mixing different types of learning. For example mixing innate behavior with learned behavior. Imprinting is an example of a complex behavior. Imprinting is the instinct to follow or remember a stimulus the experience right after hatching or birth.
Courtship: This is when one sex expresses its willingness to mate. Courtship is usually a male trying to court a female but does not have to be.
Territoriality and Aggression: Some animals instinctively choose a territory for purposes of resources or matting. They then show aggression to protect their territory.
Animal Societies: A society is a group of the same species that interact closely and cooperate.
Other important aspects to social behavior
Group living benefits (protection, hunting, care for young)
Communication (vocalizations, body language, pheromones)
Hierarchy and dominance (e.g., wolf packs, lion prides)
Altruism and cooperation - Why should individuals in a society care about others? Why should we cooperate?
Assignment: Research animal matting behaviors. Find your favorite, funniest, or weirdest. Bring a video or description of it to our next class. You will be asked to share it in groups.
Camouflage, mimicry, and warning coloration
Defensive behaviors (freezing, fleeing, fighting)
Predatory tactics (ambush, stalking, traps)
All of these survival strategies are innate.
(Define these words in your sketchbook)
-Predators
-Prey
-Carnivores
-Herbivores
-Detritivores
-Detritus waste is left over biotic parts
-Decomposers
-Producers
-Symbiont-smaller one
-Host-Larger one
Watch this video on symbiosis. Create a box in your sketchbook or section, title it "Symbiosis" and take notes, write down definitions, examples, and questions you might have. Include a picture that represents the topic.
This is an optional, but very fascinating video. It is well worth watching.
Watch this video on what Synanthropic is