A.6 Ethology

IB Syllabus Statements

Understandings:

Ethology is the study of animal behaviour in natural conditions.
Natural selection can change the frequency of observed animal behaviour.
Behaviour that increases the chances of survival and reproduction will become more prevalent in a population.
Learned behaviour can spread through a population or be lost from it more rapidly than innate behaviour.

Applications and skills:

Application: Migratory behaviour in blackcaps as an example of the genetic basis of behaviour and its change by natural selection.
Application: Blood sharing in vampire bats as an example of the development of altruistic behaviour by natural selection.
Application: Foraging behaviour in shore crabs as an example of increasing chances of survival by optimal prey choice.
Application: Breeding strategies in coho salmon populations as an example of behaviour affecting chances of survival and reproduction.
Application: Courtship in birds of paradise as an example of mate selection.
Application: Synchronized oestrus in female lions in a pride as an example of innate behaviour that increases the chances of survival and reproduction of offspring.
Application: Feeding on cream from milk bottles in blue tits as an example of the development and loss of learned behaviour.

Outline experiments that test hypotheses of the migratory patterns of blackcaps.
Define ethology.
Explain how natural selection changes the frequency of observed animal behaviour.
Explain why some behaviors become more prevalent in a population than others.
Compare the spread of learned behavior in a population, to that of innate behavior.
Explain the genetic basis of behaviour and its change by natural selection, using the migratory patterns of blackcaps as an example.
Explain the development of altruistic behaviour by natural selection, using blood sharing in vampire bats as an example.
Explain how optimal prey choice increases chances of survival, using foraging behavior of shore crabs as an example.
Explain how behavior affects chances of survival and reproduction, using breeding strategies in coho salmon populations as an example.
Explain the concept of mate selection using courtship in birds of paradise as an example.
Explain how innate behaviour increases the chances of survival and reproduction of offspring, using synchronized oestrus in female lions in a pride as an example.
Explain the development and loss of learned behaviour, using feeding on cream from milk bottles in blue tits.