Animal Behavior
Animal Behavior - Related Videos
03:05
Animal Behavior - Concepts
0 Views •
2019
Drosophila as a Model Organism The common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a widely used model organism in biology, though it may be more commonly recognized as a fruit-loving pest. There are multiple reasons that make D. melanogaster an excellent experimental organism: their roughly two-week generation time allows studying multiple generations, they are easily maintained in very small tubes, and their sexual dimorphism enables investigators to easily distinguish between males that have...
06:58
Animal Behavior - Student Protocol
0 Views •
2019
Making Choice Chambers ExpandBefore beginning the experiments, use one of the Sharpies from the lab table to trace a line around the circumference of the bottom of both bottles. One line should be 1 cm from the base of the bottle and the other should be 1.5 cm from the base of the bottle. Use a razor blade to make a small cut in each bottle at the mark. Then, insert the scissors and carefully cut along the line until the bottoms of the bottles are removed completely. Fit one bottle bottom into...
01:36
Animal Behavior - Instructor Prep
0 Views •
2019
D. Melanogaster Care ExpandObtain the Drosophila melanogaster specimens at least two weeks before the experiment to allow the specimens to acclimate to the lab room conditions. NOTE: 25 Drosophila adults produce about 50 new adults in two weeks. Each colony-housing container should consist of a clean vial, 1.5 – 3 cm of prepared food medium, and a stopper. Use a funnel to transfer the flies to the colony-housing container. NOTE: House the colonies so there will be approximately 40 flies per...
06:20
A Simple Approach to Manipulate Dissolved Oxygen for Animal Behavior Observations
0 Views •
Cited by 1 •
2016
This article describes a simple and reproducible protocol to manipulate dissolved oxygen conditions in a laboratory setting for animal behavior studies. This protocol may be used in both teaching and research laboratory settings to evaluate organismal response of macroinvertebrates, fishes, or amphibians to changes in dissolved oxygen concentration.
07:01
Rodent Stereotaxic Surgery and Animal Welfare Outcome Improvements for Behavioral Neuroscience
0 Views •
Cited by 63 •
2012
Stereotaxic surgery on rodents allows for targeted administration of drugs or electrical stimulation and recordings in awake, behaving animals. In this video presentation we will demonstrate recent procedural refinements to this long-standing procedure that successfully improved survival rate and reduced post-surgical weight loss.
FAQs
Behavior reflects an interaction between inherited genetic programs and changing conditions in the surroundings. Genes can provide a behavioral basis, while environmental cues influence when and how that behavior occurs. This relationship helps explain why actions such as foraging, migration, mating, or parental care can support survival and reproduction while remaining responsive to local circumstances.
Sensory input supplies information about surroundings and other animals, allowing the nervous system to coordinate an appropriate response. Hormonal systems also influence behavior, particularly when internal conditions change. Together, these components connect environmental information with actions such as communication, mating, feeding, and parental care, linking physiology to observable behavior.
Inherited programs can establish behavioral tendencies, while learning allows animals to adjust actions through experience. This combination provides both continuity and flexibility: animals may retain behaviors important for survival yet modify responses as environmental conditions change. Studying both influences helps biologists distinguish the contributions of genetic programs, experience, and surroundings to behavior.
Changes in habitat and climate can alter the environmental conditions that influence behavior and species interactions. Behavioral responses may affect access to resources, reproduction, survival, and relationships among populations. Examining these responses helps biology connect individual actions with broader ecological consequences and evaluate how environmental change may influence species persistence.
Behavioral studies provide information about how animals respond to their surroundings, interact with other species, and carry out activities related to survival and reproduction. Conservation efforts can use this perspective to consider behavioral responses alongside habitat conditions, population dynamics, and environmental change. Such connections help clarify how altered ecosystems may affect species survival.
Behavioral information can reveal how animals respond to their surroundings and interact with one another, making it relevant to welfare assessment and disease management. In biology, these observations connect individual actions with health-related conditions, social interactions, and population-level effects. The same behavioral perspective can therefore inform both care practices and efforts to manage disease.