Chapter 17:2
pages 462-469
BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATION
I. Instinctive Behavior Patterns
A. Courtship and mating behavior among most
animal groups is an example of an instinctive ritual
that helps animals of one species recognize one
another as possible mates.
B. Animals also protect themselves and their
sources of food by defending their territories.
C. Instinctive behavior patterns such as these are
the result of natural selection…Individual animals
that did not show these behaviors died or failed to
reproduce.
D. Instinctive behavior, just like hair color, is
inherited from an animals’ parents.
II. Territorial Behavior
A. Many animals set up territories for feeding,
mating and raising young…A territory is an area
that an animal defends.
B. Ownership of a territory is set up in different ways
1. Songbirds sing to set up territories
2. Sea lions bellow and squirrels chatter
3. Other animals leave scent marks
4. Some patrol the area to warn intruders.
Songbirds show their territories by
their songs.
Bellowing sea lions…scare away
unattached male sea lions.
Scent is used to mark territory.
Prairie dogs scout their territory.
C. Why do animals defend their territories???
1. They are areas that contain food, shelter, and
potential mates.
2.Animals need these things in order to survive.
3.Defending territories is an instinctive behavior
that improves the chances of survival for the
offspring of an animal.
4. See Figure 17-8 Male sea lions patrol the area
where their harem of females rests.
D. Aggression
1. Have you ever watched a dog approach
another dog eating a bone?
a. The hair stands up on its back, the lips curl,
and the dog makes growling noises.
b. This behavior is aggression …a forceful act
used to dominate or control another animal.
c. Fighting and threatening are aggressive
behaviors animals use to defend their territories,
protect their young, or to get food.
Animals show aggression to protect
their territories…
2. Aggressive behaviors seen in birds include
letting the wings droop below the tail feathers,
taking another’s perch, and thrusting the head
forward in a pecking motion… These behaviors
are intended to avoid physical contact.
*** Fighting wastes valuable energy, and a
missing feather or two can greatly reduce a
bird’s ability to fly.
3. Animals seldom fight to the death.
a. They rarely use their teeth, beaks, claws or
horns to fight members of their own species.
b. These structures are used for killing prey or for
defense against members of another species.
c. To avoid being killed, a defeated animal
shows submission by crouching down or
retreating.
III. Courtship Behavior
A. You have probably seen a male peacock
spread the beautiful feathers on his lower back.
B. The male frigate bird has a bright red pouch on
his throat that takes about 25 minutes to blow
up.
C. A male sage grouse fans his tail, fluffs his
feathers, and blows up this two air sacs.
D. These are examples of a behavior that animals
perform before mating…courtship behavior allows
male and female members of a species to
recognize each other.
E. These courtship behaviors also allow males and
females at the same time….helping to ensure
reproductive success.
IV. Social Behavior
A. Animals live together in groups for several
reasons.
1. One reason is that there is safety in large
numbers.
a. A wolf pack is less likely to attack a herd of
musk oxen than an individual musk oxen.
b. In some groups, large numbers of animals
help keep each other warm . (Penguin in
Antarctica huddle together against the cold
winds.)
c. Migrating animals in large groups are less
likely to get lost than if they traveled alone.
2. Interactions among organisms of the same
species are examples of social behavior…they
include courtship and mating, caring for the
young, claiming territories, protecting each other,
and getting food…These behaviors provide
advantages for survival of the species.
3. Insects such as ants, bees, and termites live
together in societies…A society is a group of
animals of the same species living and working
together in an organized way.
a. Each member has a certain job.
b. Usually, there is a female that lays eggs, a
male that fertilizes the eggs, and workers that
do all the other jobs in the society.
4. Some societies are organized by dominance.
a. Wolves usually live together in packs. In a
wolf pack, there is a dominant female.
b. The top female controls the mating of the
other females.
c. If there is plenty of food, she mates and
allows the others to do so…If food is scarce, she
allows less mating, and usually she is the only
one to mate.
V. Communication
A. In all social behavior, communication is
important…communication is an exchange of
information.
1. Animals in a group communicate with sounds
and actions…Alarm calls, pheromones, speech,
courtship behavior, and aggression are all forms
of communication.
B. Chemical Communication
1. Ants can sometimes be seen running along
single file toward a piece of food.
2. Male dogs stop frequently to urinate on
bushes when you take them for a walk.
3. Both behaviors are based on chemical
communication…The ants have laid down
chemical trails that the others can follow, and the
dog is letting other dogs know he has been there.
4. In these behaviors, the animals are using
pheromones by one animal that influences the
behavior of another animal of the same species.
5. A pheromone is a chemical that is produced by
one animals that influences the behavior of another
animals of the same species
a. Both males and females use pheromones to
establish territories, warn of danger, and attract
mates.
b. Certain ants, mice, and snails release alarm
pheromones when injured or threatened.
c. Pheromones are powerful chemicals needed
only in small amounts…They remain in the
environment so the sender and the receiver do
not have to be at a certain place in order to
communicate.
d. Because they linger in the environment, they
may advertise the presence of an animal to
predators as well as to the intended receiver of
the message.
C. Sound Communication
1. Many insects communicate through sound.
a. Male crickets rub a scraper on one
forewing against a vein on the other
forewing to produce chirping sounds…they
use the sound to attract females and warn
other males away from their territories.
b. Each cricket species produces several calls that
are different from those of other cricket species.
The calls are often used to identify species.
2. Male mosquitoes that are ready to mate use
tiny hairs on their antennae to sense the buzzing
sounds produced by females…The tiny hairs
vibrate only to the frequency emitted by a female
of the same species.
3. Vertebrates use a number of different forms of
sound communication.
a. Fish produce sounds by manipulating the air
bladder.
b. Rabbits thump the ground, gorillas pound
their chests, and woodpeckers hammer hollow
trees.
4. Sound communication is useless in noisy
environments.
*** Seabirds that live on shorelines with pounding
waves must rely on vision for communication.
Some organisms use light to
communicate and attract mates:
Lightning bugs-Fire flies/Angler fish/Jellyfish
VI. Cyclic Behavior
A. What determines when an owl sleeps?
1. Animals show regularly repeated behaviors
such as feeding in the day and sleeping at
night or the opposite.
2. Many reproduce every spring and migrate
every spring and fall.
3. Cyclic behaviors are innate behaviors that
occur in a repeating pattern.
a. They are repeated in response to changes in
the environment.
b. Behavior that is based on a 24-hour cycle is
called a circadian rhythm .
c. Animals that are active during the day are
diurnal …those that are active at night are
nocturnal
C. Hibernation
1. Hibernation is a cyclic response to cold
temperatures and limited food supplies.
2. During hibernation, an animal’s body
temperature drops to near that of its
surroundings, and its breathing rate is greatly
reduced.
3. An animal in hibernation survives on stored
body fat. (They awake in the spring)
4. Some mammals and many amphibians and
reptiles hibernate.
Hibernation
D. Migration
1. Many birds and mammals move to new
locations when the seasons change instead of
hibernating.
2. This instinctive seasonal movement is called
migration …most move in order to find food or
reproduce in a better environment.
migrations
3. Many species of birds fly hours or days without
stopping…They return a few months later.
4. Gray whales swim from the cold Arctic water to
the waters off the coast of California…After the
young are born, they make the return trip.
5. Animals have many different behaviors…some
are innate and some are learned…Many are a
combination…Appropriate behaviors help animals
survive, reproduce, and maintain the species.
Summary
****Behavioral adaptations such as defense of
territory, courtship behavior, and social
behavior help species of animals survive and
reproduce.
****Courtship behaviors allow males and females
to recognize each other.
****Interactions among members of the same
species are social behaviors that occur in
repeating patterns.