117
See also: The selfish gene 38–39 ■ Field experiments 54–55 ■ Keystone species 60–65 ■ Animal ecology 106–113 ■ Clutch
cont rol 114 –115 ■ Using animal models to understand human behavior 118–125 ■ Thermoregulation in insects 126–127THE VARIETY OF LIFE
pattern” (FAP). A FAP has set
characteristics. It is species-
specific; it is repeated in the same
way every time and is not affected
by experience. The triggers for the
behavior (“sign stimuli”) are highly
specific and may involve a color,
pattern, or sound. For example, male
sticklebacks respond aggressively
when another male enters their
streambed patch. Ethologists
suggest this is triggered by seeing
the male’s red underbelly.
Nikolaas Tinbergen found
that some an artificial sign stimuli
work better than the real thing. He
investigated the begging behavior
of herring gull chicks, which peck
at a red spot on the parent gull’s
beak to make it regurgitate food.
He found that chicks will also peck
at a model of the gull’s beak, yet
when they were offered a narrow
red pencil with three white lines
at the end, the chicks pecked at
this even more enthusiastically.
Tinbergen called this a
“supernormal stimulus,” showing
that instinctive animal behavior
can be manipulated artificially. ■Konrad Lorenz Born in Vienna, Austria, Lorenz
was enthralled by animals from
an early age and kept fish, birds,
cats, and dogs. The son of an
orthopedic surgeon, he studied
medicine at Vienna University,
graduating in 1928, and gained
his Ph.D. in zoology in 1933. His
numerous pets became the first
subjects of his studies. Lorenz is
perhaps best known for describing
the phenomenon known as
“imprinting.” This is when a
newly hatched chick bonds with
the first thing it sees (usually its
parent) and will follow it around.
The behavior, seen in ducksand other birds, as well as
mammals, is instinctive and
occurs shortly after birth. Lorenz
demonstrated the theory by
quacking like a duck at newly
hatched ducklings. He soon
had a flock of ducklings that
followed him everywhere.Key works1952 King Solomon’s Ring:
New Light on Animal Ways
1949 Man Meets Dog
1963 On Aggression
1981 The Foundations for
EthologyWhen studying
animal behavior,
scientists consider
these four elementsCausation
What triggered
the behavior in
the first place?Evolution
How is the behavior
related to the animal’s
evolution or ancestry?Function
How does the behavior
increase the animal’s
chance of survival or
reproductive success?Development
What stage is the animal
in its life cycle, and does the
behavior change as
the animal develops?Four elements of ethological experimentation
US_116-117_Animal_behaviour.indd 117 12/11/18 6:24 PM