This ppt includes the learning behaviour on mice. Specially emphasizes on wall seeking behaviour on mice

1. “STUDY OF WALL SEEKING BEHAVIOUR IN MICE”
Paper name :- Toxicology Environmental
biology and Ethology(practical)
Course code:- ZOO CC 226
Submitted by:-
Siddharth Rajput
Roll no. Y21265027
M.Sc Zoology
Department of zoology
Dr Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya
Sagar (M.P.)

2. Introduction to animal behavior
Ethology is the field of biology that studies animal
behavior. You are probably already familiar with
many animal behaviors. For example, the
“aggressive” behaviors dogs and cats exhibit in
response to one another, or the “mating” behavior
of a cat in “heat,” or the “mobbing” behavior of
birds when you get too
close to their nests, or the “play” behavior of the
squirrels on campus, or the “web-spinning”
behavior of a spider, or the “chirping” of crickets
on a summer’s evening, or the sleep behaviors of
your roommate.

3. Some of the topics in which animal
behaviorists are interested include:
• the types of behaviors a particular species can
perform,
• the stimuli that trigger behaviors,
• the “purpose” of animal behaviors, and
• the evolutionary origins of the behavior.

4. LEARNING BEHAVIOUR
A learned behavior is one that an organism develops
as a result of experience. Learned behaviors contrast
with innate behaviors, which are genetically
hardwired and can be performed without any prior
experience or training.

5. Types of behaviors
Have you ever wondered why an animal behaves
in some ways that seem similar to human
behaviors, yet in other ways that seem “odd,” at
least to humans? An example of the latter is the
behavior of a domestic cat in burying feces in its
litter box. After a cat defecates, it uses its paws to
spread litter over the feces. Yet, if that cat defecates
on the cement floor of a basement (a behavior not
to be encouraged), it exhibits the same “burying”
behavior, even though there is no litter with which
to bury the feces. Why does it do this? Wouldn’t
such behavior be purposeless in that situation?

6. Continue....
This is an example of an innate behavior. Innate
behaviors result from a stimulus that triggers a fixed
action pattern, which is a genetically engrained
behavioral response. Animals will perform such
behaviors automatically when they receive the proper
stimulus, whether or not it makes sense (to us). Since
these types of behaviors do not require learning they
are said to be instinctive. Humans also display
instinctive behaviors, such as the grasping and suckling
behaviors of infants, smiling, crying, and using the
voice to communicate, all of which appear to be
genetically ingrained.

7. Wall-seeking behavior in Mice
Elevates plus shape maze (wall seeking
apparatus

8. Wall seeking apparatus
The Elevated Plus-Maze is used to assess anxiety-
like behavior in laboratory animals The maze
exploits the conflict between the innate fear that
rodents have of open areas versus their desire to
explore novel environments.

9. Wall-seeking behaviour
Wall seeking apparatus is used to check the
behavioral patterns of a mice with the respect of
Anxiety and self-defensive behaviour. When the
anxiety levels are low, mice run on the open arms
of the maze, and when the mice is suffering from
anxiety, protective or self-defending behaviour, it
seems to keep itself inside the closed arms having
walls. A timer is used to calculate time period spent
by mice on each arm to get results.

11. Factors inducing the wall-seeking behaviour in mice
Anxiety levels in a mice can be induced by -
1.Drugs - Drugs inducing anxiety in mice makes the
mice to hide in closed arms, whereas anti-anxiety drugs
makes them to move on open arms also.
2.Diet - More the healthy appetite of a mice, more
it will roam on open arms.
3.Disease - Diseased mice by toxins or other
reasons most likely to spent time on closed arms for
seeking self-defense and protection.

12. 4.Species - Black mouse Mus musculus lives
generally in hole or burrow so it is likely to spend
more time on closed arms. Whereas experimental
white mouse interact more with humans and is more
likely to spend more time in open arms, as compared
to black one.
5.Habitat - Experimental mice are habitual to interact
more in open areas, while domestic mice are habitual of
getting rid of it.
6.Food habit - Food having tryptophan can lowers the
anxiety levels of anxiety, while sugary foods increase
the levels of anxiety.

13. 6. Environmental factors - We can regulate
the temperature, moisture, humidity of laboratory
to check the effect on behaviour of mice.

14. • To diagnose anxiety related diseases
• To check effect of a toxin or drug on behaviour
• To understand behavioral patterns of different
species
• To check the effect of environment on
behaviour
• To check the diet-behavior relationships
Application of plus maze behaviour

15. Reference:-
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK5221/
• http://library01.forbiddenmousecity.cm
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23251
9441_Is_the_WallSeeking_Tendency_in_the_W
hite_Rat_an_Instinct
• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0
8856559.1953.10533659?journalCode=vzpg20

16. Thank you