Behavioral biology

Definition

Behavioral biology examines the interactions between organisms and their environment that influence behavior. It analyzes both proximate causes (mechanisms) and ultimate causes (evolutionary reasons) of behavior.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Proximate causes of behavior include genetic, neurological, hormonal, and developmental processes.
2. Ultimate causes explain how behaviors increase an organism’s fitness or evolutionary success.
3. Innate behaviors are inherited and usually inflexible, while learned behaviors are acquired through experience.
4. Behavioral ecology studies how environmental pressures influence behavioral adaptations in populations.
5. Ethology is a branch of behavioral biology focusing on animal behavior in natural conditions.

Review Questions

Related terms

Ethology: The scientific study of animal behavior, particularly in natural environments.

Fitness:

The ability of an organism to survive and reproduce, contributing to the gene pool of the next generation.

Behavioral Ecology: A field studying how ecological factors drive evolutionary adaptations in behavior.