Two traditions History of behavioural ecology

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Cartesian approach
Aristotles 3 spheres

vegetative

sensitive

rational

Aristotle (384-322 BC)

Animals

Humans

Descartes proposes the duality between body and spirit: Humans are animals with a soul
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Darwinian Approach
Variation Differences between individuals Heredity Caracteristics are transmitted from parents to descendants Differential reproduction Owing to certain characters inherited from the parents, certain individuals leave more descendants than others (through natural and sexual selection) Without knowing anything about Mendels work...
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BIO3176 - University of Ottawa Prof. Gabriel Blouin-Demers

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Descartes (1596-1650) Psychology: reexes, reason

Darwin (1809-1882) Biology: continuity human-animal

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Descartes heirs

Pavlov

Skinner

Freud

Morgan

The animal-machines
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Natural selection

Natural selection

Group selection?
Wynne-Edwards (1962) Individual characters have evolved to favour the survival of the group, of the species Williams (1966) Example of clutch size: a genotype for 6 eggs will dominate a genotype for 2 eggs Conclusion: selection at the level of the individual is much more powerful

Individual? Gene? Group?

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Wynne-Edwards. 1962. An Disp Rel Soc Behav

Williams. 1966. Adap Nat Sel

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Natural & Sexual Selection

Genetic variation

Behaviour & Selection

Selection acts at the level of the individual (at the
level of the gene)

Genes coding for proteins are found under different variants (the alleles) that code for different forms of the same protein The alleles are transmitted from parents to offspring Certain alleles produce effects that allow their bearers to replicate them more often than bearers of other alleles of this same gene
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Behavioural phenotypic differences between Behaviour must have a genetic component Mutants Articial selection Populations with genetic differences

Heredity Differential reproduction

individuals are considered as a difference in a single gene for simplicity, although multiple genes are usually involved

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Articial Selection

Genes & Behaviour

Lynch. 1980. Genetics 96: 757-765

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Belle & Sokolowski. 1987. Heredity 59: 73-183

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Genes & Behaviour

Genes & Behaviour

Arnold. 1981. Evolution 35: 510-515

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Arnold. 1981. Micro Evol of Feed Behav

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Darwinian Approach
Behaviour is part of Biology Natural and sexual selection
affect behaviour

Darwins heirs
... and most of us!!!
Tinbergen Lorenz von Frisch

Behaviour therefore evolves Continuity human-animal

like all other phenotypic traits

Work ! 1930, Nobel Prize in medicine 1973 for founding Ethology

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Research Areas
Psychology neuropsychology reexes reason psychology

History: Summary

Psychology (Descartes) Learning Questions of causality (how?) Inuence of the environment (Nurture)

ethology behav. ecol. sociobiology Biology

continuity animal - human

evolutionary psycho. human sociobiology

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Biology (Darwin) Instincts Questions of nality (why?) Inuence of genes (Nature)

Insects Humans

Natur!

Nurtur!
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Behavioural Ecology
Behaviours are adaptations used by animals to solve
problems imposed by their environment concepts

Tinbergens 4 questions
Proximal or immediate cause Biomecanics, physiology, neurology, genetics Ontogenic cause Development, gene-environment interactions Phylogenetic cause Historical factors Ultimate cause Survival value, adaptation, tness
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Combines evolutionary, ecological, and behavioural Puts the emphasis on studying animals in their
natural environment

How?

Ethology = study of the proximal mechanisms and

of the adaptative value of animal behaviour

Why?

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Example of 4 questions
Why do robbins sing in the Spring? Proximal cause Lengthening of the day causes hormonal changes Ontogentic cause They learned the songs from their parents and neighbours Phylogenetic cause Bird songs have evolved from simple sounds in the bird lineage that arose from reptiles Ultimate cause To attract mates
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Contemporary Actors
Kin selection Sterile casts in social insects Island biogeography 1975: Sociobiology, The New Synthesis

Bill Hamilton, Oxford

Ed Wilson, Harvard
1978 with Nick Davies: Behavioural Ecology: A" Evolutionary Approach

The gene is under selection 1976: The Selsh Gen!

John Krebs, Oxford

Richard Dawkins, Oxford

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An example of behaviour

An example of behaviour

Infanticide in monkeys
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Infanticide in monkeys
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An example of behaviour

Proximal Questions
What is the link between genes and
behaviour?

Is the behaviour inherited from the parents? How does the cognitive machinery for this
behaviour developped?

Which stimulus triggers this behaviour?

Infanticide by male lions
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Ultimate Questions
Has the behaviour evolved over time? What was the ancestral form of the
behaviour?

Response to infanticide

Why has the ancestral form changed? What is the adaptive value of this behaviour?
How does it improve tness?

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