Animal’s Common Name:
Genus & species:
The specific behavior (describe):
Is this behavior shown only in certain behavioral contexts, such as in communication, getting food, competition, social behavior, attracting mates, mating behavior, parental behavior, or some other area of activity?
Is this behavior stereotypic of the species? (I.e. typically by all similar members of the species, similar by sex or age or reproductive status.)
Observed in natural population_____ or in lab situation_____
PROXIMATE CAUSES
1. Mechanism (Causation)
Is this a response to an external stimulus?
Is this behavior a Fixed Action Pattern?
If so, what is the releaser (the stimulus or innate releasing mechanism) ?
Through what sensory system is this stimulus received?
Does this response directly involve genetic/molecular mechanisms?
What is known about the genetic/molecular mechanisms of this behavior,
Is learning or imprinting involved in modulating the behavior?
2. Ontogeny (Development)
Over the course of the individual’s lifespan, when is this behavior exhibited?
Shown by males, females, or both?
Shown only in certain behavioral contexts which are age dependent? In what behavioral context? ?
ULTIMATE CAUSES
3. Adaptation (Function)
How is this behavior adaptive? This actually is answered by asking 3 different questions (for which there may be different answers).
1) Does this behavior lead to higher reproductive fitness? Explain how
2) Does it also lead to the individual’s longer survival? Explain how
3) Does it contribute to the survival of the individual’s offspring? Explain how
What aspects of the environment explain why this behavior is adaptive?
4. Phylogeny (Evolution)
What speculations can be made about the origin of this behavior evolutionarily?
In your opinion was it more likely to have been “pushed” by natural selection, sexual selection, kin selection, or genetic drift?
If the behavior is not stereotypic in the species, but does have a high genetic contribution, it may be rare because it has been selected against (gene frequency decreasing in the population) or rare because it is new and slowly becoming more common (gene frequenc increasing in the population). If you think either of these conditions apply for this behavior, please explain why.
If possible, compare how this behavior expresses in closely related species.
Is this behavior possibly due to convergent evolution in distantly related species?
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