Development of genetics and nature to behaviours

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Can you divide behaviours into genetic or learned?
No.
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Why not?
Behaviours are a result of both of these things; they interact. Depending on the behaviour will define how much each one contributes.
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What is the difference between 'evolved', 'innate' and 'present at birth'?
Some traits or behaviours are not present from birth, but may still be evolved or innate. Can not say these behaviours are leearnt just because of this.
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Example of a behaviour which is not present from birth but is evolved?
Fighting in hippos, deer etc. Not present at birth but has evolutionary contributions.
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What must you have in order to acquire a skill/behaviour?
A nervous system that can learn from the environment. Cannot have purely genetic or environment determined behaviours.
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Example of a behaviour which depends on genetics and environment?
White crowned swallows - born with ability to sing, environment affects how good they are at it.
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Another example?
Vampire bats - no aversion to blood when paired with nausea. Have a NS to learn not to avoid certain foods when experienced with nausea (only one food source).
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Give an example of learning depending on genes?
Imprinting.
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What is imprinting?
Generally found in bird species. Behavioural response to follow whatever they see from birth, use this rule of thumb that they must be their parent.
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Why could imprinting not occur without genes?
This behaviour would not be able to occur if the brain was not prepared to react to whatevers around shortly after hatching.
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What other specialised learning abilities are there?
Food caching (remembering where food is hidden).
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Is food caching due to memory of where it was hidden or using rule of thumb e.g. low areas of trees?
Memory for where food was hidden.
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Study that showed this?
Nutcrackers - hides food for winter. Allowed them to hide food, then removed and swept away markings. Spent longer at correct locations, beak opened wider.
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Environmental differences can cause...
Behavioural differences.
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Genetic differences can cause...
Behavioural differences.
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What is vital for environmental differences to cause behavioural differences?
A nervous system that can respond to environmental differences.
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Name an example of an animal who's behaviour is changed by environment and also genentics?
Bird song - learn different songs (based on locations). Change due to exposure to different songs. BUT occurs because NS is designed to acquire local song.
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Another example of an animal who's behaviour is changed by environment but also genetics?
Squirrels study. Siblings (reared together or apart), non-siblings (together or apart). Those reared together - less agg, learnt about nest mates. But siblings reared apart = less agg than non reared apart. Relying on genetics.
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What is the 'armpit effect'?
Scent producing glands around mouth and on back (squirrels). Investigate odours on cubes. Less interest = most like own odour. Less interest in those smelling most like them (most related).
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What can animals use as a cue for genetic relatedness?
Rules of thumb.
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What is the effect of chick begging and loudness depending on genetic relatedness?
Those in polyandrous nest - louder - more competition. More at risk of predation. More conflict in unrelated siblings.
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What happens if you administer a V1aR antagonist to prairie voles?
Blocks V1a receptor - shown no preference for mate.
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When migrating, where do some warbler birds spend their winter?
Southern England.
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Where was it assumed warbler birds migrated from?
North.
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What explanation was put forward for why they stopped in England?
Stopped over instead of going to Africa.
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What alternative explanation is there?
Coming from Germany. Actually flying west.
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How can you test which direction a bird wants to migrate in?
Cone and ink. Allow them to fly out, will leave footprints on directionn they were going from. Tested in lab reared chicks - flew west.
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Whats an example of genetic differences causing behavioural differences?
Warbler birds flying west. Determined by genetics.
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Another example of genetics causing behavioural differences?
Food preference in Garter snake - inland prefer frogs and fish. Coastal = slugs. Take young after birth, see what they eat.
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How can you investigate what a snake prefers?
Will flick tongue towards favoured - olfactory cue.
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What are single gene effects?
Traits that rely on one gene.
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How can you examine the contribution of single genes to behaviour?
Gene knockout experiments.
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Example of a single gene effect?
fosB gene in mice. Show indifference to pups. Other functions not affected.
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Another example of a single gene effect?
oxt gene. Males cannot produce oxytocin (bonding hormone). Cannot remember who they've mated with. Tend to spend more time smelling if not mated with before - keep smelling familiar females as much as unknown females.
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What is polymorphism?
Same species that exists in different forms e.g. sitter and rover larvae.
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What is the dominant gene out of rovers larvae or sitters larvae?
Rovers.
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What kind of offspring do you get if you mate rovers with sitters?
All rovers, but carriers of sitters gene.
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What happens if you breed the offspring from the first generation together?
You get 75% rovers, and 25% sitters.
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What are heterozygous offspring?
Carry both copies of the gene.
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What are individuals known as if they carry all of one gene?
Homozygous.
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What is the dominant rover allele?
forR.
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What is the recessive sitter allele?
forS.
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What happens if you transfer the forR allele to a sitter?
Behavioural transformation from sitter to rover.
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What protein does forR lead to greater expression of?
PKG.
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What can the difference from a newly changed rover and a sitter known as?
Genetic polymorphism.
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How else can individuals end up different (not genetic)?
Environmental differences leading to developmental switches.
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What is the term you refer to when an animal has an alternative phenotype that can be expressed through deciding to change traits?
Polyphenism (multiple phenotypes).
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What are developmemental switches?
Point in time an organism decides its going to express alternative phenotypes it possesses.
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What is the difference between polymorphism and polyphenism?
Polymorphism is triggered by the environment. Polyphenism is triggered by developemental switches.
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Name an organism example of a developmental switch?
LOCUSTS. Can switch from gregarious to solitary. When food is scarce, forced into same space as each other, forces them to be gregarious.
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How can you stimulate gregariousness in locusts?
Tickle hind legs to give impression of jostling.
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How else?
Serotonin increase = more gregarious.
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What happens when locusts given serotonin antagonist?
Not gregarious.
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What is the ultimate causation of gregariousness in locusts?
Food dwindling. Grouping makes it more likely they will find food, so UC = to find food.
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What is the proximate causation of gregariousness?
Crowding and stimuli associated with being cramped on limited food source. Effect of serotonin on a molecular level.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Why not?

Back

Behaviours are a result of both of these things; they interact. Depending on the behaviour will define how much each one contributes.

Card 3

Front

What is the difference between 'evolved', 'innate' and 'present at birth'?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Example of a behaviour which is not present from birth but is evolved?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What must you have in order to acquire a skill/behaviour?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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