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Ch. 35 Behavioral Adaptations to the Environment
Taylor - Campbell Biology: Concepts & Connections 10th Edition
Taylor, Simon, Dickey, Hogan10th EditionCampbell Biology: Concepts & ConnectionsISBN: 9780136538783Not the one you use?Change textbook
All textbooksTaylor, Simon, Dickey, Hogan 10th EditionCh. 35 Behavioral Adaptations to the EnvironmentProblem 1
Chapter 35, Problem 1

Complete this map, which reviews the genetic and environmental components of animal behavior and their relationship to learning.
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1
Understand the two main components of animal behavior: genetic (innate) and environmental (learned). Genetic components are inherited traits that influence behavior, while environmental components are shaped by an organism's interactions with its surroundings.
Identify examples of genetic behaviors, such as reflexes or fixed action patterns, which are instinctive and do not require learning. These behaviors are encoded in the organism's DNA.
Identify examples of environmental influences on behavior, such as learned behaviors. These are acquired through experience, observation, or conditioning, and are not directly encoded in the DNA.
Explore the relationship between genetics and learning by considering how genetic predispositions can influence the capacity for learning. For example, certain species may have a genetic predisposition to learn specific types of behaviors more effectively.
Complete the map by categorizing behaviors into genetic and environmental components, and illustrate how learning bridges these two aspects. For instance, imprinting in birds is a behavior that has both genetic and environmental components, as it is genetically programmed but requires environmental stimuli to occur.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Genetic Influences on Behavior

Genetic influences on behavior refer to the hereditary factors that shape an organism's actions and reactions. These genetic components can determine predispositions to certain behaviors, such as aggression or sociality, and are often studied through the lens of behavioral genetics. Understanding these influences helps in recognizing how innate traits can interact with environmental factors to shape overall behavior.
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Environmental Influences on Behavior

Environmental influences on behavior encompass the external factors that affect how animals behave, including their surroundings, social interactions, and experiences. These influences can modify or enhance genetic predispositions, leading to variations in behavior based on context. For example, an animal raised in a stimulating environment may develop different learning abilities compared to one in a deprived setting.
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Learning and Adaptation

Learning is the process through which animals acquire new behaviors or modify existing ones based on experiences. This adaptive capacity allows organisms to respond effectively to changes in their environment, enhancing survival and reproduction. The interplay between genetic predispositions and environmental experiences is crucial in shaping learning outcomes, illustrating the dynamic relationship between nature and nurture in behavior.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Although many chimpanzee populations live in environments containing oil palm nuts, members of only a few populations use stones to crack open the nuts. The most likely explanation for this behavioral difference between populations is that

a. Members of different populations differ in manual dexterity.

b. Members of different populations have different nutritional requirements.

c. Members of different populations differ in learning ability.

d. The use of stones to crack nuts has arisen and spread through social learning in only some populations.

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Textbook Question

Pheasants do not feed their chicks. Immediately after hatching, a pheasant chick starts pecking at seeds and insects on the ground. How might a behavioral ecologist explain the ultimate cause of this behavior?

a. Pecking is an innate behavior

b. Pheasants learned to peck, and their offspring inherited this behavior

c. Pecking by newly hatched chicks is the result of trial-and-error learning

d. Pecking is a result of imprinting during a sensitive period.

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Textbook Question

A male redwing blackbird will chase predatory birds away from his breeding territory during nesting season. Which hypothesis best explains his behavior?

a. He is acting for the good of the species. He may die, but other birds of his species will be saved.

b. He knows this will increase his fitness, so he chases away the predator.

c. He carries a gene that causes fathers to protect their offspring, which increases inclusive fitness.

d. He has imprinted on the offspring in his nest, so he knows that they are his.

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