behavior
an action carried out by muscles under control of the nervous system in response to an environmental cue
behavioral ecology
the study of behavior in an evolutionary context
proximate questions
concern the immediate reason for the behavior
stimuli
environmental cues that cause stimulus
proximate causes
answers to proximate questions
ultimate questions
address why a particular behavior occurs
ultimate causes
evolutionary explanations for behavior
innate behavior
behavior that is under strong genetic control
fixed action patterns
an unchangeable series of actions triggered by a specific stimulus
learning
the modification of a behavior based on specific experiences
habituation
when an animal learns not to respond to a specific stimulus
imprinting
learning that is limited to a specific time period in an animals life; usually irreversible
sensitive period
limited phase in animals development where imprinting can occur
kinesis
a random movement in response to a stmulus
taxis
movement towards or away from a stimulus
spatial learning
animals establishing memories of landmarks in their environment that indicate locations of food, nests, mates, and hazards
migration
the regular back and forth movement of animals in between two geographic areas to access food resources and breeding grounds
associative learning
ability to associate one environmental feature with another (link stimulus to outcome)
trial and error learning
animals learning to associate one of its behavior with a positive or negative effect
social learning
learning by observing the behavior of others
cognition
process carried out by the animals nervous system to perceive, store, integrate, and use information gathered by the senses
problem solving
the process of applying past experiences to overcome obstacles in novel situations