Responding to the
Environment
Life on Earth
Target – Classify behaviours
I can classify behaviours as innate or
learned. I can suggest the survival
value of the behaviour to the species
I can define innate and learned
behaviour. I can suggest some survival
values of different behaviours
I can define innate and learned
behaviour.
The ways that animals respond to the
environment is called their behaviour.
The ways that animals respond to their
environment always has some survival
value – it makes the animal more likely
to survive.
Simple animals show simple responses
to stimuli from the environment.
There are two different ways that
animals behave –
Innate behaviour is ‘built in’ behaviour.
The animal is born with these
behaviours, which are instinctive and
not fully under the animal’s control
Learned behaviour is behaviour that is
picked up from others. This may be
from parents or from social groups in
animals such as elephants or apes.
Copy and complete the following tableAnimal
Stimulus
Worms
tapping
Worms
heat
Woodlice
moisture
Sharks
blood
Stick –
movement
Response
Survival
Innate /
benefit
learned
Insects
Jellyfish
touch
Add two examples of any animal behaviours
Target – Investigate responses
I can describe an experiment to find out
how mealworms react to a stimulus. I can
explain how the experiment is kept fair and
reliable.
I can describe an experiment to find out
how mealworms react to a stimulus.
I can take part in a group experiment on
mealworm responses.
An experiment to investigate responses
in woodlice
5 meal worms were
placed into a choice
chamber through
the central hole.
They were left for
15 minutes, and the
number in each
sector counted
Dark
light
moist
moist
dark
Light
dry
dry
Recording – Investigating mealworm responses
Diagram of choice chamber, Record the
numbers in each half after 15 & 30 min.
Dark conditions were created by …
The mealworms were put in through the
central hole because …
The mealworms were left for 15 minutes
to ….
To check the reliability of the results we
should ….
Conclusions –
The mealworms preferred to be in
conditions that were …………
The survival advantage that this gives is
that it would ………..
This is an example of innate / learned
behaviour
Target – Design behaviour experiment
I can design a choice chamber experiment
which is fair and reliable. I can suggest
sources of error and improvements
I can design a choice chamber experiment
which is fair and reliable.
I can design a choice chamber experiment
which is fair and reliable with some help.
This is an assessed piece of work.
You need to generate a formal report of
the experiment.
The formal write up depends on you
describing how you made your experiment
fair. This involves you thinking about what
variables were kept the same.
The write up also depends on you making
your results reliable.
Aim – A clear statement of what you are
trying to find out
Method – a step-by-step list of
instructions for how to set up the
experiment. Explain the importance of the
choices you made. You may choose to
include labelled diagrams.
Results – observations or number data
which you collect at the end of the
experiment. You need to choose the most
appropriate format(s); table, bar graph,
line graph.
Conclusion – a sentence or two to explain
what your results mean. This should relate
back to the aim – what you were trying to
find out
Sources of error – a sentence or two about
anything you can identify which may have
affected your results. If you think that
something may have affected your results,
what would you do differently if you had to
repeat the expeeriment?
How does moisture affect mealworm
behaviour?
Rhythmic behaviour
A rhythmic behaviour is one which is
repeated over a period of time.
Rhythmic behaviours involve –
Repeated behaviours over periods of time
A biological clock
An external trigger
A rhythmic behaviour may be over a short
(e.g. daily) or long (e.g. annual) period.
Daily – nocturnal animals come out at night
and are inactive during the day
Tidal – shore crabs feed in the intertidal
zone, so are only active when the tide is out
Annual – Hibernation is a response which
conserves energy during a time of the year
when food (therefore energy) is short.
Migration is an annual journey where
different activities take place in different
locations at different times of year.
The trigger stimulus is the environmental
factor(s) that the animal uses to tell the
time.
Bears prepare for hibernation as the days
get colder and day length shorter.
Birds come into breeding season as the day
length increases.
Nocturnal animals become active as daylight
decreases.
Koola and Grinder
The biological clock is a function of the
brain that keeps track of the rhythmic
cycles. It is relatively short term.
Captured bears, moved to a zoo in another
country, still get lethargic when they should
be hibernating back home.
Shore crabs kept in aquariums will still show
activity on a 6 hour tidal cycle – though
there is no tide.
Humans have a problem with jet lag. Even
though the external stimuli tell you what
time of day it is, your body thinks different!
Target – Exemplify migration
I can explain the survival value of each
stage of the migration of salmon and
geese.
I can describe the migration of salmon and
geese in terms of where and when they
migrate.
I can describe parts of the migration cycle
of salmon and geese. .
Migration case studies –
?What does it do where?
?Why does it need different places?
?What are the trigger stimuli for the
different parts of the journey?
Atlantic salmon
Barnacle geese
Grey whales (homework)
Animal – Atlantic salmon
Outward journey – total distance _____________
From
To
Time of year
Trigger stimulus
Why it goes there
Return journey – total distance _____________
From
To
Time of year
Trigger stimulus
Why it goes there
Animal – Barnacle goose
Outward journey – total distance _____________
From
To
Time of year
Trigger stimulus
Why it goes there
Return journey – total distance _____________
From
To
Time of year
Trigger stimulus
Why it goes there
Animal – Grey whale
Outward journey – total distance _____________
From
To
Time of year
Trigger stimulus
Why it goes there
Return journey – total distance _____________
From
To
Time of year
Trigger stimulus
Why it goes there
The following sites give you starting
points for your searches on migration Migration (Natural History museum)
Migration (BBC Nature)
geese
salmon
Grey whale
Target – conceptualise habituation
I can give a definition of habituation. I can
recognise and give examples. I can explain why
habituation is an advantage to animals
I can give a definition of habituation. I can
recognise examples. I can explain why
habituation is an advantage to animals
I can give a definition of habituation. I can
recognise examples.
This rat is your teacher for today.
What is (s)he telling you?
Habituation involves an innate response
to what the animal sees as a possible
threat.
If the stimulus is repeated, the animal
learns that the stimulus is not causing
any real danger. It therefore modifies
its behaviour so that it reacts less to
the stimulus.
“The bird table sits on the window. If
you turn the light on, the birds used to
fly away. Now they ignore it.”
Farmers can buy compressed air ‘bangers’
to scare away the birds. This only works
for a few days, then they don’t seem to
bother.
‘Sentry’ gophers
sit at the
entrance of a
burrow and give an
alarm call if
animals approach.
If they live
near humans,
they never
seem to make
the gopher
scared.
When whales were being hunted, they
would change course to avoid the sound
of ship engines. Sightseeing boats can
now stay within metres of whales.
The most delicate parts of a snail are its
eyes, which are on the end of stalks. If
these are touched, it pulls the stalks in, in
case it is a bird trying to eat it.
In a shower of
rain, it would be
pulling its stalks in
all the time – but
it seems to ignore
the touches after
the first few
raindrops.
Recording – Habituation
•Write a definition of the term
‘habituation’.
•Describe three examples of habituation
which were discussed in class.
•Come up with one example of habituation
concerning humans.
•Explain why habituation is an advantage
to animals.
Habituation in Daphnia
Daphnia is a tiny freshwater animal
about 1mm long. You can buy it in pet
shops where it is sold as live fish
food.
•Place a few Daphnia into a
measuring cylinder.
(They congregate near the top to
get oxygen.)
•Now simulate a big, bad fish
coming along.
•Observe the Daphnia response.
•Over the course of a few
minutes, repeat the stimulus.
•Each time, observe the
Daphnia’s response.
•Score the response as –
+ = more than the previous time
= = same as the previous time
- = less than the previous time
Results Trial –
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Response score –
Conclusions –
As the stimulus was repeated, the
Daphnia reacted ……
This meant that they wasted less …… by
avoiding unnecessary …… .
If the experiment was repeated the
following day, I would expect …
Habituation is often a short term
modification of behaviour. While
habituation definitely saves the animal
energy, it would not be sensible if the
daphnia always assumed that the
stimulus was not a predator. It is the
fact that a regularly repeated stimulus
has caused no harm that makes it
temporarily ignore the stimulus.