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Animal and Plant Behaviour
- Animals
- Animals exhibit a wide range
of instinctive and learned
behaviours, such as courtship
displays and parental care.
These types of behaviours
help them to survive. Animals
communicate with each other
in a variety of ways, using
sounds, chemicals, body
language and spoken
language.
- Sexual Reproduction
- Many animals and birds don’t
mate for life. They have several
different sexual partners in their
lifetime or during one breeding
season. Some animals are
monogamous - they mate with one
partner for life. This behaviour is
seen in puffins and albatrosses. It is
very unusual in mammals.
- Birds
- Animals and birds use
different ways to attract a
mate. Many male animals
and birds use courtship
behaviour to attract a
female. This is seen in the
spectacular way male
frigate birds inflate their
large red throat sacks, in
the colourful display of
feathers in male peacocks
- Animals and birds use
different ways to attract a
mate. Many male animals
and birds use courtship
behaviour to attract a
female. This is seen in the
spectacular way male
frigate birds inflate their
large red throat sacks, in
the colourful display of
feathers in male peacocks
- Alpha Male
- Often there is one dominant
‘alpha male’ that mates with
all of the sexually-mature
females in his group. The
alpha male is usually the
largest or strongest male. This
behaviour is seen in lions and
also sea-lions.
- Often there is one dominant
‘alpha male’ that mates with
all of the sexually-mature
females in his group. The
alpha male is usually the
largest or strongest male. This
behaviour is seen in lions and
also sea-lions.
- Many animals and birds don’t
mate for life. They have several
different sexual partners in their
lifetime or during one breeding
season. Some animals are
monogamous - they mate with one
partner for life. This behaviour is
seen in puffins and albatrosses. It is
very unusual in mammals.
- Parental Care
- Many animals and birds
look after their young in a
variety of ways. These
behaviours are called
parental care. This gives
their young the best
possible chance of survival
to ensure that the genes of
the parents are passed on.
- Mammals
- Female mammals carry their
young in their uterus before they
are born. An animal that does this
– gives birth to living young rather
than laying eggs - is said to be a
viviparous animal. Once born,
mammals care for their young by
producing milk. The mother’s milk
provides the baby with all the
nutrients it needs. Suckling from
their mother is also a relatively
safe place to feed.
- Female mammals carry their
young in their uterus before they
are born. An animal that does this
– gives birth to living young rather
than laying eggs - is said to be a
viviparous animal. Once born,
mammals care for their young by
producing milk. The mother’s milk
provides the baby with all the
nutrients it needs. Suckling from
their mother is also a relatively
safe place to feed.
- Birds
- All newborn chicks are fed
by one or both of their
parents until they are old
enough to leave their
parents and live on their
own. The killdeer bird
displays an unusual type of
parental care behaviour. It
nests on the ground and
when predators try to take
its eggs or chicks, it lures
them away by pretending it
has a broken wing. It’s a risky
strategy for the parent bird
but helps to give their young
a good chance of survival.
- All newborn chicks are fed
by one or both of their
parents until they are old
enough to leave their
parents and live on their
own. The killdeer bird
displays an unusual type of
parental care behaviour. It
nests on the ground and
when predators try to take
its eggs or chicks, it lures
them away by pretending it
has a broken wing. It’s a risky
strategy for the parent bird
but helps to give their young
a good chance of survival.
- Fish
- Paternal care occurs in perhaps as many
as half of the known species of certain
families of teleost fish. One well-known
example of paternal care is in seahorses,
where males brood the eggs in a brood
pouch until they are ready to hatch. In
jawfish, the female lays the eggs and the
male then takes them in his mouth. A
male can have up to 400 eggs in his
mouth at one time. The male can't feed
while he hosts the young, but as the
young get older, they spend more time
out of the mouth.[23] During the breeding
season, male three-spined sticklebacks
defend nesting territories. Males attract
females to spawn in their nests and
defend their breeding territory from
intruders and predators. After spawning,
the female leaves the male’s territory and
the male is solely responsible for the care
of the eggs. During the ~6-day incubation
period, the male ‘fans’ (oxygenates) the
eggs, removes rotten eggs and debris, and
defends the territory. Even after embryos
hatch, father sticklebacks continue t
- Paternal care occurs in perhaps as many
as half of the known species of certain
families of teleost fish. One well-known
example of paternal care is in seahorses,
where males brood the eggs in a brood
pouch until they are ready to hatch. In
jawfish, the female lays the eggs and the
male then takes them in his mouth. A
male can have up to 400 eggs in his
mouth at one time. The male can't feed
while he hosts the young, but as the
young get older, they spend more time
out of the mouth.[23] During the breeding
season, male three-spined sticklebacks
defend nesting territories. Males attract
females to spawn in their nests and
defend their breeding territory from
intruders and predators. After spawning,
the female leaves the male’s territory and
the male is solely responsible for the care
of the eggs. During the ~6-day incubation
period, the male ‘fans’ (oxygenates) the
eggs, removes rotten eggs and debris, and
defends the territory. Even after embryos
hatch, father sticklebacks continue t
- Mammals
- Many animals and birds
look after their young in a
variety of ways. These
behaviours are called
parental care. This gives
their young the best
possible chance of survival
to ensure that the genes of
the parents are passed on.
- Types of behaviour
- Other behaviours are learned. These are called conditioned behaviours, and there are four types:
operant, habituation, imprinting and classical.
- Operant Conditioning
- This type of learned
behaviour occurs by
rewarding or punishing
an animal. Teaching a
dog to jump through a
hoop by giving it treats
is operant conditioning.
This type of
conditioning can be
used to train
- This type of learned
behaviour occurs by
rewarding or punishing
an animal. Teaching a
dog to jump through a
hoop by giving it treats
is operant conditioning.
This type of
conditioning can be
used to train
- Habituation
- Habituation is where an animal
becomes steadily used to a stimulus
or situation. It is sometimes known
as a simple learning or
desensitisation process. An example
of habituation would be the action
of prairie dogs which have lived
alongside humans for some time.
They have become familiar with the
scents of humans in their territory
and no longer make alarm calls
when a scent is found.
- Habituation is where an animal
becomes steadily used to a stimulus
or situation. It is sometimes known
as a simple learning or
desensitisation process. An example
of habituation would be the action
of prairie dogs which have lived
alongside humans for some time.
They have become familiar with the
scents of humans in their territory
and no longer make alarm calls
when a scent is found.
- Imprinting
- Imprinting is the tendency of
young animals to follow the first
moving object they see. This is
usually the mother. Imprinting
usually occurs during a short, but
critical, period of a young animal’s
life.
- Imprinting is the tendency of
young animals to follow the first
moving object they see. This is
usually the mother. Imprinting
usually occurs during a short, but
critical, period of a young animal’s
life.
- Classical conditioning
- This type of learned behaviour occurs without
rewarding or punishing. Many dogs will run towards
the door to begin their walk when their owner
shakes their lead. This is classical conditioning. A
Russian scientist called Ivan Pavlov completed a
famous experiment into classic conditioning. He
observed that his dog produced lots of saliva when
he showed it food. Every time he fed his dog, he rang
a bell for a short while afterwards. Eventually, just
ringing the bell alone was enough to make his dog
salivate. It had been conditioned into salivating
when it heard the bell - and not just when it saw
food.
- This type of learned behaviour occurs without
rewarding or punishing. Many dogs will run towards
the door to begin their walk when their owner
shakes their lead. This is classical conditioning. A
Russian scientist called Ivan Pavlov completed a
famous experiment into classic conditioning. He
observed that his dog produced lots of saliva when
he showed it food. Every time he fed his dog, he rang
a bell for a short while afterwards. Eventually, just
ringing the bell alone was enough to make his dog
salivate. It had been conditioned into salivating
when it heard the bell - and not just when it saw
food.
- Operant Conditioning
- Other behaviours are learned. These are called conditioned behaviours, and there are four types:
operant, habituation, imprinting and classical.
- Animals exhibit a wide range
of instinctive and learned
behaviours, such as courtship
displays and parental care.
These types of behaviours
help them to survive. Animals
communicate with each other
in a variety of ways, using
sounds, chemicals, body
language and spoken
language.
- Plants
- Plants communicate too - they might produce chemicals to warn of attack.
- Chemical communication
- Some plants release
chemicals to warn
nearby plants of
attack
- others have brightly-coloured
flowers or flowers with bold
patterns to attract insects for
pollination
- other plants
attract pollinating
insects with
enticing scents
- Some plants release
chemicals to warn
nearby plants of
attack
- Plants communicate too - they might produce chemicals to warn of attack.
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