An introduction to

Animal behaviour

Jacqueline Lau jacchat@gmail.com

 we animals are the most complicated and perfectly-designed pieces of machinery in the known universe it is hard to see why anyone studies anything else. ~ Richard Dawkins (1989)

Why animals behave the way they do

Behaviour: the way an animal reacts to changes in its external or internal environment Ask how the behaviour is triggered, controlled, performed Ask why the behaviour exists All behaviours effect the animals chances of survival and reproduction and the survival of their own species

 Behaviours related to:

Food Cooperation and aggression Reproduction: courtship and parental care Cyclic and periodic: circadian, migration

Types of animal behaviour:

Nature vs Nurture

Innate animal behaviour

Instinctive or inborn Result of a long evolutionary process Fully functional first time performed Some improvement with performance or maturation Nest building Suckling Weaving a web

Learned behaviour
Acquired by experience Learning by association conditioning by chance, trial and error habituation

Pavlovs dogs: Pavlovian conditioning

Learning by association
Stimulus > response Lots of repetitions to build the connection Rapid reinforcement Rewards or punishments Link decay > un-learning

but has limits

Habituation: also a form of learning an animal ceases to respond to a certain stimulus (which is neither harmful or rewarding) Exhaustion: when an animal ceases to respond to a certain stimulus due to muscular fatigue, sensory exhaustion or prolonged habituation

Communication
The transfer of information from one individual to another Acoustic: bird songs, crickets, cicadas Visual: movement, colour, light Chemical: excretions, odour, pheromones Touch: grooming, stroking Electrical: fish

 e.g.
moths and other insects males release chemicals that attract females bird courtship behaviour conspicuous male plumage; ritualised courtship dances Frogs and toads depth and loudness of croak are an indication of the callers size tail length in swallows are an indication of an individuals fitness

 Deliberate transfer of misinformation A signal does not always imply the truth E.g. shrikes let out an alarm call when a rival shrike is after the same prey it is pursuing E.g. mimicry in butterflies and other insects E.g. female nightjar limps or pretends to have a broken wing, hopping away from its nest to lure a predator away

Communication in insects (and others)

How do insects do that?
Recognise host plants Find mates Signal alarm Leave and follow trails Aggregate

. pheromones!
- chemicals released by an organism into its environment enabling it to communicate with other members of its own species

 Chemoreception
By Smell Taste Volatiles in air Solubles in water

The antenna is the principal olfactory organ of insects Specialised structures of the cuticle

Food predators and prey

Where to eat, what to eat, when to look for something else Evolutionary arms race Optimal foraging: cost-benefit analysis Energy return for a time and energy investment Anti-predator adaptations: Camouflage, mimicry, alarm signals

Cooperation and aggression

Group and social life Why live in a group? Direct benefits: food, mates, defence, survival, care of offspring Direct costs: competition for resources, parasites, diseases, cannibals
Social behaviour in vertebrates

Cooperation Mutualism Manipulation Reciprocation Kin selection

 Eusociality in insects
Ants and termites

 The most abundant and dominant insects have the most complex social organisation Competitive advantage
Division of labour Effect of individual errors insignificant Collective effort: teamwork!

Courtship and reproduction

competitive males and choosy females

Choices, choices: Indications of good genes > viable offspring Healthy males Size, ornaments, badges of rank Winners, not losers Good territory, nest presentation Nuptial gifts Attractive traits are seldom just for fashion!

Migration
Many animals migrate at certain times of the year Avoid unfavourable conditions

- Compass sense (long distances) - Sun compass - Polarised light - Magnetism - Star constellations - Olfaction - Pilotage (local landmarks, limited distances/radius)

 Online resources

www.naturia.per.sg/buloh

 Online resources

habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/guidebooks/

 Online resources

www.ecologyasia.com

 Online resources

http://besgroup.talfrynature.com

 Online resources

http://butterflycircle.blogspot.com

 Books

The best way to study animal behaviour

In the field!

Thank you!

Photo credits: Cai Yixiong Lin Yangchen Jacqueline Lau Marcus Ng

Practical applications from the study of animal behaviour

Benefits to humans and animals Sonar abilities of bats > sonar techniques (eg. Ultrasound scanner, shipping sonars) Classical conditioning theory > learning principles in human medicine (nutrition and diet during treatment therapy) Experimental research Mimicry