repertoire of behavior, case studies and significance

1. Case Studies of Animal
Welfare to elaborate the
importance in Repertoire
of behavior.
By : Tuba Tahir

2. Repertoire of behavior:
A behavioral repertoire is a holistic
compilation of behaviors that are observed
and then described by an ethologist for a
particular animal species.
Behaviors can occur within a specific
group or age and comprehensive
catalogues attempt to represent.

3. We describe a stochastic model that stimulates how
the behavioral repertoires of animals living in
complex and stochastic environments change in
response to the changing environment. Different
behaviors from its repertoire are performed and if
chosen behavior matches the current environment
conditions, animal is able to reduce its primary needs
with a probability that increases with the degree of
match.

4. Jamming avoidance response:
 In 1963, Akira Watanabe and Kimihisa Takeda discovered the
behavior of jamming avoidance response in the knifefish. W.
Heiligenberg expanded this into a full neuroethology study by
examining the series of neural connections that led to behavior.
 Eigen-mannia is a weakly electric fish that can generate electric
discharges through electrolytes in the tail. Further, it has ability
to electrolocate by analyzing the preturbations in its electric
field. However, when the frequency of a neighboring fish’s
current is very close to that of its own the fish will avoid having
their signals interfere through a behavior known as jamming
avoidance behavior.

5. Jamming avoidance response

6. Neurologists performed several experiments to
determine the sign of frequency difference. They
manipulated the fish’s discharge. Then an electrode
was placed in its mouth and another was placed at the
tip of the tail. Likewise the neighboring fish discharge
by injecting electric field was mimicked using another
set of electrodes.
This experiment allowed neurologists to manipulate
the different discharge frequencies and observe the
fish’s behavior.

7. Feature analysis in toad vision:
 The recognition of predator and prey was studied
by Jorg peter. He observed natural prey catching
behavior of toad and concluded that animal
followed a sequence that consisted of stalking,
binocular vision, snapping. Initially, the toad’s
action were dependent on specific fetures of
sensory stimuli whether it was Worm that initiated
movement along objects long axis and antiworm
that signaled predator was the movement along
short axis.

9. Evert and coworker conducted experiments where
they inserted electrodes into the brain. While, toad
was presented with worm or anti worm stimuli. In
focus, was the discovery of prey selective neurons in
the optic tectum whose axons could be traced towards
the shaping pattern generated cells in hypoglossal
nucleus. Thus, the discharge pattern of pre-selective
neurons in response to prey objects in freely moving
toads predicted prey catching reactions such as
snapping.

10. Stimulation experiments:
This experiment was carried out in freely moving
toads focal electrical stimuli were applied to different
regions of brain and toad response was observed.
When the thalamic pretectal region was stimulated,
toad exhibited escape response. But when tectum was
stimulated in an area close to prey- selective neurons,
the toad engaged in prey catching behavior.

11. Computational Neuroethology:
 It is concerned with the computer modelling of
neural mechanism. Underlying animal behavior.
Randall Beer studied it in frogs and toads.
 CNE system work within a closed loop environment
rather than though human input for example, retina
of horse shoe on a connection machine. Instead of
feeding the model retina with idealized input
signals, they exposed the stimulation to digitized
video sequences underwater and compared its
response with those of real animals.

12. Fixed action patterns:
 The term sign stimulus or model action pattern is
used to donate an instinctive behavioral sequence
that is relatively invariant with the species and
almost inevitably runs to completion.
 Kelp gull chicks peck at red spot on mother’s
beak to stimulate regurgitating reflex.

13. Gull Chicks

14. Mating dances:
 Some mating dances are commonly carried out
by birds, are examples of fixed action patterns. In
this case, the sign stimulus is typically the
presence of opposite sex.

15. Male stickleback behavior:
 Niko Tinbergen explained the behavior of male
stickleback in spring season, they change their
color, establish a territory and build a nest. They
attack male that enters their territory. His main
finding were that male stickleback responded in
a relative invariant way and attacked a model
with a red belly but in contrast courted a model
with a swollen belly.

16. Egg retrieval behavior:
 This was also studied by Niko Tinbergen that
like many ground nesting birds, if an egg become
displaced from the nest, the graylag rolls it back
to the nest with its beak.
 The graylag will also retrieve other egg shaped
objects such as golf ball ,door knob, or even a
model egg too large to have possibly laid by
goose itself.

17. Significance of study:
 Repertoire behaviors or inflexible behavioral patterns are
significant in animal behavior because
 They represent the simplest type of behavior in which a
particular stimulus nearly always results in an invariable
behavioral response.
 They are hard wired in animal behavior.

18.  They are usual in that they are uninfluenced by the
environment, once the behavior has been elicited.
 The flexible behaviors are generally more likely to
be adaptive by increasing fitness for example
graylag goose egg rolling behavior is too essential
for the survival of its chicks.
 This all behaviors helps in animal survival and their
welfare.