Etology

• Etologia - the science that studies animal behavior
• Plants


  • Influence each other and their environment (tropism, nastia)
• Nastia


  Movement, independent of stimulus direction
• Tropism


  Movement depends on the direction of the stimulus
• The more developed the animal

  The higher the proportion of learners
• Necessary for behavior

  • Stimulus (external or internal, key stimulus)
  • Motivation (hunger, thirst, fear, curiosity, reproduction)
• Supernormal stimulus


  An effect that triggers a more effective response in an animal
• Supernormal stimulus

  • Cuckoo's larger, orange beak is a bigger stimulus for the female to feed it
  • Snail-turning bird chooses the nest with a larger egg
• Inherited behavior


  Non-experiential behavior
• Unconditional reflex


  The inherited response that occurs immediately to a given stimulus
• Unconditional reflex

  • Insects become immobile in response to a sudden stimulus
  • People close their eyes or try to dodge in response to a sudden stimulus
• Taxi driver behavior


  • The stimulus not only triggers but also influences the direction of the animal's movement, constantly controlling it
• Taxi driver behavior

  • Flatworm crawls between 2 light sources to avoid light
• Learned behavior


  Behaviors that differ from individual to individual because they come from their own experience
• Imprinting


  Engraving of goslings where the first moving creature is perceived as the mother
• Prey grabbing behaviour of predators

  • Ferret plays with hamster, hamster dislikes and attacks, ferret learns hamster is not a friend
• Habituation


  The animal learns what stimuli not to respond to
• Habituation

  • Snails stop hiding after repeated blows
• Sensitization


  The opposite of habituation, the animal becomes more responsive to a stimulus
• Sensitization

  • Flatworm twitches even in response to a flash of light after being hit by an electric current
• Conditional reflex


  An indifferent stimulus is associated with a stimulus of food, and the animal responds to the indifferent stimulus alone
• Operant learning


  More complex learning, gaining experience through active action
• Operant learning

  • Cat learns to step on a pedal to get food outside its cage
• Insightful learning


  The most complex form of learning, using tools to solve problems
• Insightful learning

  • Chimpanzee uses sticks of different lengths to reach food outside its cage
• Instinct


  A group of behaviors with both inherited and learned elements
• Instinct

  • Experienced deaf female turkey recognizes her chicks without sound, inexperienced deaf female kills her chicks
• Orientation


  The basic subsistence behavior of animals, where the stimulus not only triggers, but also determines the direction of movement and constantly controls it
• Orientation


  • Flatworm vs. light
  • Wasp (bee wolf) laying cones around its nest, memorizing them and moving accordingly
• Orientation using objects


  • If the cones are pushed away, the wasp will fly towards them, it will not find its nest
• Orientation of bats and dolphins

  • They navigate with the help of ultrasounds and their reflection
• Orientation of migratory birds


  • They navigate during the day with the help of the position of the stars, and the Earth's magnetic field also plays a role
• Life-sustaining behaviors


  • Orientation
  • Nutrition
• Nutrition


  It may be a simpler form in animals whose immediate environment is their food (earthworms, whales), or more complex in herbivores and predators
• Herbivores


  • It's not enough to just open their mouths, they sometimes have to search for food
• Predators


  • They must learn the most effective methods of stalking prey, killing and consuming prey
• Predator's behavior


  Triggers an escape/defensive behavior in prey
• Reproductive behavior is a basic behavioral manifestation in animals
• Reproductive behavior depends on internal hormonal and sexual maturity factors and external stimuli, such as lengthening of the time of day, abundance of food, etc.
• Mate selection


  • The first step in reproduction
  • Triggering stimulus: smell, sound, colour, movement