Introduction To Animal Behaviour

Animal behaviour:

Animal behavior  is all the ways animals interact with other members of their species and with their environment.

Simply, Speaking the way of living of an animal is called animal behavior. Behavior may also be defined as

A change in the activity of an organism in response to a stimulus , an external or internal cue or a combination of cues.

For example: A dog starts drooling. It is a change in activity in response to the sight of food. Food is a stimulus.

Behavioral Biology:

The study of biological and evolutionary bases for behavior is called behavioral biology. Modern behavioral biology is based on certain disciplines of ethology and comparative psychology.

A)  Ethology: It is a field of basic biology , like ecology or genetics. It focuses on behaviors of diverse organisms  in their natural environment.

B)  Comparative psychology: It is an extension of work done in human psychology. It focuses on a few  species studied in a lab setting.

Types of  questions and levels of Analysis:

Behavioral biology also draws on many related areas of biology. These includes genetics , Anatomy , physiology , evolutionary biology and neurobiology.

Nikolaas Tinbergen Was a Dutch ornithologist. He studied behaviour. He is considered one of founders of field of ethology. Based on his own research Tinbergen proposed four basic questions helpful in understanding any animal behavior we look at this questions by using production of song by zebra finch (Birds) as an example:

1.Causation and mechanism:

What causes behavior? What triggers the behavior? What body parts , functions and molecules are involved in carrying it out?

Example: Singing is trigger in zebra finches (Birds) by social cues. These cues may be like proximity of a potential mate and appropriate hormonal state. The ability to produce songs is influenced by male hormones. It occurs mainly on male birds. Songs are produced when air flows from air sacs in bronchii through an organ called the syrinx. Certain parts of the brain controls songs production. These are well developed in male zebra finches.

2)Development:

How does behavior develops?

Example: Young male zebra finches first listen to the songs of nearby males of their specie , particularly their fathers. Than , they start to practice singing. By adulthood male zebra finches have learned to produce their own songs. These are unique but often have similarities to those of their fathers. Once a finch has perfected his song, the songs remains fixed for life.

3)Survival value or function/ adaptive value:

How does behavior affect fitness?

Example: Singing helps male zebra finches attract males. It increases the chance that they will reproduce. Singing is a part of an elaborate courtship ritual. It attracts the female to choose the male.

4)Phylogeny

How did the behavior evolve?

Example:

Almost all species of birds can make vocal sounds but only birds in the suborder Passeri are songbirds relative to zebra finch other songbird species differ in:

Timing of their listening and practicing phases

Plasticity of song over their lifetimes

Way the singing is used