Introduction:
Welcome to the first article of AP Biology Unit 8, Ecology, Topic 8.1: Responses to the Environment. We will be reviewing animal behaviors, types, and their importance in survival.
Behaviors
Imagine waking up to your alarm and hitting the snooze button, or covering your ears to escape the noise. This response to the alarm clock, the stimulus, is a behavior. When you think of behaviors, you should think of reactions. Behaviors, or responses to stimuli, are what allow organisms to survive and adapt in their environments.
Some behaviors we’re born with and have done our whole lives, like blinking subconsciously or breathing. These are innate behaviors and are unlikely to change through experience because they’re encoded in our DNA.
However, certain habits, such as brushing your teeth or avoiding a hot stove, aren’t encoded in your genetic material. Habits like these are learned behaviors, not innate, and are gained through experience and influenced by the environment.
Responses
Organisms react to stimuli in their environment through various means, like changing their behaviors and/or changing their appearance. An example of this would be the Moorish Gecko, which changes its appearance (a physiological behavior), to blend into its environment to avoid predators.
Furthermore, organisms can also react by sharing information to other organisms. This might be done to warn others of incoming danger. One such case of this is the Black-capped Chickadees. These birds add more dees in their scream depending on the danger level of the predator to warn other birds.
Natural Selection & Fitness
But why are these behaviors so crucial in allowing organisms to survive in their given environment? They help species adapt better to their environments. Behaviors that increase an organism's fitness, or their survival and reproduction, are favored by natural selection.
Foraging, or food-obtaining behavior, helps model this concept. Animals that are better at foraging are consequently more successful at finding food and have a better chance of reproduction than animals with poor foraging skills, which will likely die from starvation.
Behavioral Signals
In the early morning, you’ve probably heard bird songs. Birds use this tactic to establish their territory. Bird songs are an example of behavioral signals, ways that animals use their visual, auditory, or scent signals to indicate dominance, locate food, establish territories, and ensure reproductive success (fitness).
Cooperative Behaviors
Most animals you can think of are social with each other. Think about it–humans stick with their families, wolves stay in packs, and bees work together in hives. These cooperative behaviors increase their fitness and allow groups to work together, whether it’s finding food, seeking companionship, or warding off predators. Predator warnings and pack behaviors are common cooperative behaviors.
Summary
All living organisms, even you, demonstrate some sort of behaviors, whether it’s learned or innate, that ultimately increase the organism's fitness.