In each case, animal behaviour can be considered at the individual level; individual behaviour is determined in part by a complex interplay of the nervous and endocrine systems.
Behaviour is also influenced by environment (Will explain Later)
- Finally Behaviour like all traits are shaped by natural selection!
Tinbergen was a Dutch Biologist that set out 4 questions to determine Animal Behaviour
TINBERGEN'S QUESTIONS
- CAUSATION; what physiological mechanisms cause the behaviour? (Multiple Answers)
Example: A Bird sings causes hormones levels to have changed in response to changes in the day length OR Air passing through specialized singing organs.
- DEVELOPMENT; how did the behaviour develop?
Here the focus is on the role of the genes and the environment in shaping behaviour, In birds typically the male its the learning of the song that the child will learn from its father.
- ADAPTIVE FUNCTION; how does the behaviour promote the individuals ability to survive and reproduce?
The male Bird sings in order to attract a mate and then reproduce
- EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY; how did the behaviour evolve over time?
Complex bird songs may have evolved from vocalizations made by ancestors that were reinforced and became increasing stereotyped and ritualized
The Answers to Tinbergen's questions rely on an interplay between genes and the environment.
the influence of genes is especially clear in innate behaviour, those that our instinctive (Ducks lining up, Turtle that are just born making there way to the sea)
A particular behaviour may also depend on an individual experience, for example fruit flies learn to avoid certain areas/ locations or substances if they associate them with unpleasant experiences
@Science_Nerd101 (Twitter)
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