L11 - MICROEVOLUTION

Evolution & Behaviour
"It always seems impossible until it's

done."
11 Animal Behavior
1. Ecological Aspects of Behaviour:

How an animal's environment shapes its behaviour..
 Habitat selection,
 Food selection and optimal foraging theory,
 Anti-predator defence mechanisms,
 Territoriality and dispersal.
Habitat selection ( रहे कहा पर ??)
Habitat selection is actual process how animals distribute themselves in space and time with
respect to some resource in their environment.
Things organism get from habitat;
• Habitat provides shelter;
• Food, “ Rich Habitats give higher fitness ”
• Protection,
• Mates and space for breeding, “ Poor habitats give lower fitness ”
• Feeding,
• Resting,
• Roosting,
• Courtship,
• Grooming,
• Sleeping,
• etc.
Ideal free distribution (IFD) Model: Fretwell & Lucas
A theoretical way in which a population's individuals distribute themselves among several
patches of resources within their environment, in order to minimize resource competition
and maximize fitness.
Ideal free distribution model. Consider two
habitats, A and B. Habitat A is the higher-
quality habitat because it yields the highest
fitness for any given population density.
As individuals first arrive, all individuals

should select Habitat A. After more than X
individuals arrive, they should settle equally
in both habitats.
The Ideal Dominance Distribution Model
The ideal dominance distribution model predicts that competition between individuals of a species
for territories will result in socially dominant individuals acquiring territories in higher
quality habitat than their subordinates.
Food selection and optimal foraging theory
By Robert Mac Arthur, J.M. Enilen and Eric Pianka in 1966.
What to eat ?
Cost > Benefits

According to the optimal foraging (diet) theory:
E1 = the amount of energy gained by eating prey type 1 (in calories)
E2 = the amount of energy gained by eating prey type 2 (in calories)
For handling food:

h1 the time it takes to eat prey type 1 (in seconds)
h2 the time it takes to eat prey type 2 (in seconds)
For searching:
S1 the amount of time it takes to find prey type 1 (in seconds)
S2 the amount of time it takes to find prey type 2 (in seconds)
Optimal foraging theory Evolution & Behaviour
0
Anti-predator defence mechanisms
Method Description Example(s)
Camouflage Blending into the environment to avoid detection. Stick insects, leaf-tailed geckos
Mimicry Imitating the appearance or behavior of harmful species. Monarch and viceroy butterflies
Fleeing Escaping from predators by running, flying, or swimming. Gazelles, rabbits

Playing Dead Feigning death to make predators lose interest. Opossums
Warning Coloration Using bright colors to signal toxicity or foul taste. Poison dart frogs, coral snakes
Physical adaptations like spikes, shells, or tough skin for
Defensive Structures protection. Porcupines, turtles
Alarm Calls Emitting sounds to alert others of a predator's presence. Prairie dogs, many bird species
Defending as a group to protect all members, especially the
Group Defense vulnerable ones.
Buffaloes, elephants
Chemical Defense Using chemicals to repel or harm predators. Skunks, bombardier beetles
Displaying threatening behaviors or appearances to scare off
Intimidation attackers.
Cats, frill-necked lizards
Territorial Behaviour Evolution & Behaviour
Territory behavior describes how an animal, or group of animals, defends an area from
intruders of the same species. This defended area is called a territory.
Why territorial behavior ??
1. Secure resources
Cost > Benefits
2. Mating success
3. Reduced competition
4. Safety for young
Optimal territory - Maximum large sized territory in which benefit is maximum
and cost is minimum.
2. Social Behaviour: Aggregations
 Group selection
 Schooling in fishes,
 Flocking in birds,
 Herding in mammals;
 Kin selection,
 Altruism,
 Inclusive fitness, and social organization
in insects and primates.
Group Selection or Living: Evolution & Behaviour
• WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY GROUP LIVING ?

• What fitness benefits accrue to animals living in groups?
1. Improved foraging (cooperative hunting)

2. Decreased risk of predation
3. Conservation of water and heat (e.g Huddling)
4. Conserving Energy by Moving Together (Schools of fish and flocks of
birds flying in formation)
बहुत ठं डी है भाई…
मम्मी
मजा आ रहा है
मुझसे गलती हो गई,

मुझको माफि दे दो
Flocking in birds Schooling in fishes

• What is the cost to animals living in groups?
1. Increased Competition
2. Food resource dilution
3. Increased Risk of Disease, Parasites and predators
4. Interference for mate
5. Great risk of inbreeding
6. Cannibalism
As group size increases both benefits and costs increase.
The idea of optimal group size.
Effect on recipient
+ -
Effect on actor
+ COOPERATION SELFISH
- ALTRUITIC SPITEFUL
Example 1: Many small birds forage in flocks.
Types under social behavior/ Group living:
• Cooperation, e.g Hunting in a group.

• Agonistic behaviour, e.g “ You win, I give up.”
• Dominance hierarchies, e.g Leader , neta
• Territoriality, and altruism.
Agonistic behaviour Evolution & Behaviour
(Aggression)
Any social interaction between animals that involves some level of conflict or competition.
Examples of agonistic behavior:
• Deer locking antlers in a fight for territory

• Scorpions performing a "dance" before stinging
• Birds singing to defend their territory
• Monkeys displaying their teeth in a threat posture
• A dog growling at another dog approaching its food bowl
Hierarchical behaviour Evolution & Behaviour
A dominance hierarchy, also sometimes referred to as a pecking order, is a social
structure found in many animal groups, including social insects, birds, and mammals.
Cooperative Behavior Evolution & Behaviour
Cooperative behavior in animals refers to situations where individuals work together for a
mutual benefit.
Benefits of Cooperative Behaviour:

1. Increased foraging efficiency
2. Enhanced defence against predators
3. Improved care for young
4. Territory defence
Types of Cooperative Behaviour:
1. Reciprocal altruism: help each other
2. Kin selection: Helping close relatives
3. True altruism: This is the rarest form, where an individual

helps another at a cost to itself with no
apparent benefit expected in return.
1. Altruism (Selfless acts performed for the benefit of another behaviour)

"self-destructive behaviour performed for the benefit of others"
Key Characteristics: Altruist Recipient

1. Selflessness
2. No expectation of reward
3. Cost to the actor
Alarm calls: Birds or monkeys calling out to warn others of a predator, even though they
themselves might attract attention.
2. Reciprocal Altruism 3. Kin Selection / Eusociality

“ occurs between two unrelated “occurs between closely related
individuals” organisms”
Both interacting individual will get benefited e.g Honey bees, wasp, ants (Hymenoptera)
Necked mole mice.
How do individuals recognize kin ?

Green beard genes cause altruistic behaviours to be directed at
other individuals who carry that gene.
HAPPY LEARNING
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Evolution & Behaviour

"It always seems impossible until it's

1. Ecological Aspects of Behaviour:

As individuals first arrive, all individuals

By Robert Mac Arthur, J.M. Enilen and Eric Pianka in 1966.

Cost > Benefits

E1 = the amount of energy gained by eating prey type 1 (in calories)

E2 = the amount of energy gained by eating prey type 2 (in calories)

For handling food:

Fleeing Escaping from predators by running, flying, or swimming. Gazelles, rabbits

• WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY GROUP LIVING ?

• What fitness benefits accrue to animals living in groups?

1. Improved foraging (cooperative hunting)

मुझसे गलती हो गई,

Flocking in birds Schooling in fishes

• What is the cost to animals living in groups?

• Cooperation, e.g Hunting in a group.

Examples of agonistic behavior:

• Deer locking antlers in a fight for territory

Benefits of Cooperative Behaviour:

Types of Cooperative Behaviour:

1. Reciprocal altruism: help each other

2. Kin selection: Helping close relatives

3. True altruism: This is the rarest form, where an individual

1. Altruism (Selfless acts performed for the benefit of another behaviour)

Key Characteristics: Altruist Recipient

2. Reciprocal Altruism 3. Kin Selection / Eusociality

How do individuals recognize kin ?

India’s No 1 for NEET, IIT-JAM, GATE and NET Exams

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