Animal Behaviour: Psych'Biol' 3750

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Animal BehaviourPsych./Biol. 3750

• Lecture 7 September 23, 2009

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Behaviour supplements other phylogeny

• Aggression and mating pattern data contributed to
  phylogeny in Nasonia wasps (Figures 2.31 - 2.33)

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Hormones and Behavior

• Interface between organism and (social?)
  environment

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Pituitary gland controlled by the hypothalamus
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Basic Hormone information

• Two basic kinds of hormones
• Peptide hormones and steroids
• Feedback systems

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Two types of hormones

• Peptide hormones (pituitary gland)
• Prolactin parental behavior
• Oxytocin bonding
• Steroid hormones cholesterol derivatives
• testosterone competition
• Estrogen/Progesterone mating, nest building

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Testing how hormones affect behavior

• Basic categories
• 1. Change levels ? observe behavior
• 2. Measure levels? correlate with behavioral
  change
• 3. Determine brain sites locate hormone
  receptors
• 4. knockouts

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8. Autoradiography - radioactively labelled
estradiol used to map brain estradiol receptors
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Major imacts of hormones

• Activational effects (Fig 3.8)
• Organizational effects (Fig 3.11-3.14)

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Hormone changes in birds during reproduction
decrease t during parental behavior
testosterone

• Ball, 1991

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An integrated activation example House finches

• Coloration (Fig 3.3 3.4, Table 3.1)
• Behavior (Fig 3.6)
• Immune system (Fig 3.5)
• Testosterone levels

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House finch coloration

• Carotenoids in food (proximate)
• Genetic? quality indicator (ultimate)?

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Brighter males

• Are more attractive females
• Provide more paternal care (PC)
• Are more disease resistant
• Why are there yellow males?