Week 9 Post 3

During this topic of the course, I realized I find migration very interesting. For example, butterflies and whales migrate hundreds and hundreds of miles for food and habitat and places to breed. I also found the correlation between humans and migration amusing

Do humans unintentionally migrate for breeding purposes? Is the nature of migration what causes teenagers to leave the house so early at times? Or is it purely hormones?

Week 9 Post 2

Dispersal and Migration

Most animals are mobile in some way or another.  Sometimes, animals move from one place to another for different reasons and in different ways. Dispersal is one of the ways animals move from place to place; it is when animals move short or intermediate distances to a similar kind of habitat. It is a one-way trip, meaning the animals stay where they moved.  Competition over food, space, or resources can be a cause of dispersal. Usually, younger animals disperse because they are less competitive by nature. When young animals disperse it is called natal dispersal. Parents will kick out their children due to competition, and to reduce inbreeding.  This awareness of inbreeding is an adaptation, as inbred offspring are usually born with defects, thus not surviving for long.
Migrations occur when animals leave their habitat to move temporarily to a different habitat and return at some later stage. Billions of animals migrate every year. Migration evolves when habitat for feeding or breeding is better in one area during certain times of the year and is harsher at other times. During migrations, animals navigate in different ways; using a star compass (earth's rotation), the sun rising and setting, magnetic fields, and landmarks/smells.

A combination of genetic and environmental information and experience help animals migrate thousands of miles successfully.

Humans actually migrate in their own way; we take vacations to warmer places when it's cold, and to cooler places when it's hot. We will also move from place to place to find jobs or opportunities.

Week 9 Post 1

Animal Behavior: Dispersal and Migration

• Most animals are mobile
• Dispersal: 
• When animals move short or intermediate distances to a similar kind of habitat
• One-way
• Competition over food, space, or resources
• Usually younger animals => less competitive
• Natal dispersal
• Parents will kick out children due to competition
• Reduces inbreeding (adaptation)
• Migration: 
• When animals leave their habitat to move temporarily to a different habitat, and return at some later stage
• Billion migrate every year
• Evolves when habitat for feeding or breeding is better in one area during certain times
• Navigations:
• Uses star compass, earth's rotation
• Sun rising and setting
• Magnetic field
• Landmarks/smells
• Combination of genetic and environmental information, and experience

Week 8 Post 3

I find it interesting that humans have so much easy access to food sources (at least most of us do), while animals struggle to some extent. And if you think about it, we are weaker and unable to hunt or forage even if we had to. I find it upsetting that there are so many people without food.

Can animals evolve to somehow deal with the toxins of plants? Or evolve to avoid the thorns of plants, or digest them?

Week 8 Post 2

Feeding Behavior

Food is necessary for survival, for animals and for humans. Some foods are available in large quantities, others in small patches, usually for plant-eating animals. Other food sources don't move, or are in the same place, while others move and require a hunt to consume.
Animals all face the same basic challenge of efficiently tracking down and consuming their food. Getting food involves two major challenges: finding food items, and then successfully consuming them. Predators sometimes need to evolve to catch their food easier and more efficiently, as prey evolve to escape easier and faster.
Herbivores eat plants while carnivores eat other animals. Herbivores generally eat immobile prey, like plants, while carnivores eat mobile prey, other animals. Herbivores rarely struggle to find and identify food items but consuming the food becomes more difficult. Plants may have physical or chemical defenses, like thorns or poisons. Carnivore prey is easy to consume but harder to catch. Prey can avoid detection and try to escape, while even injuring the predator itself.
Animals find food by detecting cues using their senses. Their senses include sight, hearing, smell, and touch. Some animals can detect vibrations, while some can detect electric fields or heat. A common strategy for predators is to focus on a cue that is very difficult to hide, for example, a heart beat. A search image is a visually distinctive indicator of a specific prey item that can be discriminated from the background.

Although humans don't hunt for their food or need to worry about toxins, we do choose what we eat carefully, as we suffer from different kinds of toxins; like preservatives. 

Week 8 Post 1

Animal Behavior: Feeding Behavior

• Food is necessary for survival
• Some foods are available in large quantities, others in small patches
• Some don't move or are in the same place, some move
• animals all face the same basic challenge of efficiently tracking down and consuming their food
•  two major challenges: finding food items, and then successfully consuming them
• Predators sometimes need to evolve to catch their food easier and more efficiently
• Herbivores eat plants, carnivores eat other animals
• herbivores generally eat immobile prey, while carnivores eat mobile prey
• herbivores rarely struggle to find and identify food items
• plants may have physical or chemical defenses
• Animals find food by detecting cues using their senses
• Animal senses include sight, hearing, smell, and touch
• Some animals detect vibrations
• Some can detect electric fields or heat
• Common strategy for predators is to focus on a cue that is very difficult to hide
• Search image - visually distinctive indicators of a specific prey item that can be discriminated from the background

Week 7 Post 3

I was well aware that animals used many different forms of communication. But I had no idea that these modes of communication had "pros and cons". For example, the fact that feathers were very costly to produce on the bird's part? Absolutely extraordinary.

I would want to know more about permanent visual signals. What about fur? And amphibians with skin that have a bright, warning color?

Week 7 Post 2

Modes of Communication

Different modes of communication have different characteristics that make them more or less effective for certain types of signal.  One of the main modes of communication, and the most common is visual communication.  It is common but diverse and includes permanent signals and temporary signals.  Permanent signals include coloration, while temporary signals include things like smell and sound.  Visual signals have three things in common; they are fast at conveying information, can work over long distances, and are restricted to line-of-sight.  Meaning, they are dependent on environment.  Both types of visual signals can be tasking or easy. Permanent signals are usually easy to maintain but costly to produce, like feathers.
Auditory signals are fast and can travel long distances. But, they are always temporary, and they require constant energy, like a frog croaking. Auditory signals are also easier to eavesdrop, which can be harmful to prey animals trying to signal predators.  A positive is that locating the source of the signal becomes more difficult.
Olfactory signals are smells and are a very slow signal.  The signal is restricted by air movements, and are useless for signals needing quick speed, like marking territory before rivals can. Although, they are good for persistence, as they can last a while.
Tactile communication is gestures between two individuals, usually during mating, or most commonly, during grooming.

Humans use signals for communication literally every single day. Our main ways of communication are auditory as well as visual; talking and facial expressions.

Week 7 Post 1

Animal Behavior: Modes of Communication

• Different modes of communication have different characteristics that make them more or less effective for certain types of signal
• Visual communication:
• Common but diverse
• includes permanent signals and temporary signals
• Three things in common:
• Fast conveying information
• Can work over long distances
• restricted to line-of-sight
• Dependent on environment
• Can be bad or good
• Permanent is usually easy to maintain but costly to produce
• Auditory signals are fast, travels long distance
• Always temporary, requires constant energy 
• Easier to eavesdrop
• Locating source becomes harder
• Olfactory signals (smells)
• Very slow signal
• Restricted by air movements
• Useless for signals needing quick speed
• Good for persistence, can last a while
• Tactile communication
• Gestures between two individuals
• During mating
• Common in grooming

Week 6 Post 3

It is really surprising to me that there is an actual term for the way humans and animals both do things that other members of their species did first. It is a really bad adaptation, thus the name maladaptation. I wonder if we will ever overcome that, or evolve out of it. But personally, I don't think humans will evolve much further.

Will humans evolve further? Is there any testing or evidence that we are currently evolving in any way?

Week 6 Post 2

Learning From Others

Learning is something we all do from a very young age, voluntarily or not. Social learning is the phenomenon of learning by observing others, which is very common in the animal world and human society, Social learning gives the same results with less time and energy than individual learning. A combination of individual and social learning can also be used, and often is.
Local enhancement: occurs when seeing others investigating or performing an activity makes an individual want to investigate; makes them curious.
Stimulus enhancement occurs when the aftermath of an investigation by another individual result in a stimulus for an individual who may have not had interest before.
Social learning is necessary if an individual is not as good as the others, so if they need more help to survive.Social behaviors can also be wrong at times.  Wrong behaviors are called maladaptive behaviors; when the behavior is more harmful than helpful.

You see local enhancement and maladaptive behavior amongst humans all the time. When one group of people try a new food, maybe a Starbucks drink, then everyone wants to try it. And when the people in front of an individual cross the road when the light is red, and the individual follows, it is maladaptive. 

Week 6 Post 1

Animal Behavior: Learning

• Social learning:
• The phenomenon of learning by observing others
• Gives the same results with less time and energy than individual learning
• Combination of individual and social learning can also be used
• Local enhancement:
• Seeing others investigating makes you want to investigate
• Stimulus enhancement:
• The aftermath of an investigation results in a stimulus
• Social learning is necessary if an individual is not as good as the others
• Social behaviors can also be wrong at times