PNB 2XC3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Adaptation, Synaptogenesis, Saccharin

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour
• Course: PNB 2XC3
• Professor: Reuven Dukas

Document Summary

Bees feed on nectar and pollen from flowers. It is adaptive for bees to have an innate tendency to fly from flower to flower for food. A typical bumblebee habitat contains variation among flower species in time and space: varying in smell, shape and colour, varying amounts of nectar and pollen, different areas have different plant species, vary depending on season. Exercise: draw a graph to show the predicted number of flower species visited as a function of experience by individual bumblebees that start their foraging life. When there is strong association over many generations between a cue and an environmental feature: ex: flowers = food. Most innate behaviours and learning abilities are evolved adaptations. In many situations, innate behaviour is superior because an individual doesn"t need to spend time learning. In other situations, innate behaviour isn"t sufficient and learning is adaptive. Many behaviours have both innate and learned components.