Behavioral Ecology and Ethology ❮ 215An example of this involves young chimpanzees in the Ivory Coast, who watch their
mothers crack nuts with rock tools before learning the technique themselves.
Operant conditioningis a type of associative learning that is based on trial and error.
This is different from classical conditioning because in operant conditioning, the associa-
tion is made between the animal’s ownbehavior and a response. This is the type of condi-
tioning that is important to the aposometrically colored organisms that we discuss in
Chapter 18 on ecology. For example, a brightly colored lizard with a chemical defense mech-
anism (it can spray predators in an attempt to escape) relies on this type of conditioning for
survival. The coloration pattern is there in the hope that the predator will, in a trial-and-
error fashion, associate the coloration pattern with an uncomfortable chemical-spraying
experience that it had in the past. This association might make the predator think twice
before attacking in the future and provide the prey with enough time to escape.Animal Movement
There are three major types of animal movement that you should familiarize yourself with
for the AP exam: kinesis, migration, and taxis.
Kinesis.This is a seemingly random change in the speedof a movement in response to a
stimulus. When an organism is in a place that it enjoys, it slows down, and when in a
bad environment, it speeds up. Overall this leads to an organism spending more time in
favorable environments. In Chapter 19, Laboratory Review, an example of kinesis
involving pill bugs is discussed. These bugs prefer damp environments to dry ones, and
when placed into a contraption that gives them the choice of being on the dry or damp
side, they move quickly toward the damp side (where the speed of their movement
slows).
Migration.This is a cyclic movement of animals over long distances according to the time
of year. Birds are known to migrate south, where it is warmer, for the winter. It is amazing
that these animals know where to go.
Taxis.These are cars taken by people who need transportation. Hmm... actually, taxis,
the biological term, is a reflex movement toward or away from a stimulus. We always think
about summer evenings, sitting on the porch with the bug light near by, watching the poor
little moths fly rightinto the darn thing because of the taxis response. They are drawn to
the light at night (phototaxis).Behave Yourselves, You Animals!
There are several typical behavior patterns that you should familiarize yourself with before
the exam.- Agonistic behavior.Behavior that results from conflicts over resources. It often involves
intimidation and submission. The battle is often a matter of who can put on the most
threatening display to scare the other one into giving up, although the displays can also
be quite subtle. Agonistic behaviors can involve food, mates, and territory, to name
only a few. Participants in these displays do not tend to come away injured because
most of these interactions are just that: displays. - Altruistic behavior.Analtruisticaction is one in which an organism does something to
help another, even if it comes at its own expense. An example of this behavior involves
bees. Worker bees are sterile, produce no offspring, and play the role of hive defenders,
KEY IDEAKEY IDEABIG IDEA 2.E.3
Behaviors (such as
migration) are regu-
lated by various
mechanisms and
are important to
natural selection.
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