BCS 183 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Cognitive Ethology, Brood Parasite, Ontogeny
30 Sep 2016
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Ecology = study of interactions between organisms and their environments. Ethology = study of natural animal behavior; four levels. Cognitive ethology = studies interactions between information processing behaviors. 2) ontogenetic: past experience and genetic biases cause the animal to behave this way. Proximate: what are the mechanisms for speed -> wind-sensitive cercal hairs. Hairs can detect gust as small as 3m. 180 degrees, 4 directions of wind determines which hairs move. Similar species use similar behavior for varied uses. Native snakes use feint to startle fish to mouth (genetic) After mating (proximate) cuckoo) lays egg in the nest of the species that raised them (ontogenetic) Egg coloring genes passed down maternal line (genetic) so cuckoos offspring produces eggs like species raised to them (ontogenetic) Understanding of cognitive skills that underlies behaviors. Understand cognitive problems that animals face in natural environments. Interpreting animal behavior requires multiple levels of explanation (ethology) 1) part of ethological explanation should include cognition.
