Chapter 31, Problem 37A

Summary Introduction

To conclude:

The animal out of the three animals; emperor penguins, earthworms and isopods; that has the most complex ecological behavior

Introduction:

Animal behaviors are innate and learned behaviors evolve by natural selection. Animals that engage in complex behaviors are able to survive better and reproduce because they have inherited more favorable behaviors.

Out of the given three animals; emperor penguins, earthworms and isopods; the animal that has the most complex ecological behavior is emperor penguin because it exhibits courtship behavior, nurturing behavior and territorial behavior.

Earthworms display habitual behavior. Sometimes animals learn over time that a potentially important stimulus deserves little or no attention. Initially when the earthworm was touched with a paintbrush it responded by withdrawing but when the stimulus continued many times, it did not respond. This decreased response to a repeated stimulus is called habituation. This helps the earthworm to ignore unimportant stimuli and focus more on important stimuli such as food, a mate or a predator.

Isopods are common arthropods that are found on sidewalks or patios. They respire through gills and so they prefer high humidity. They respond to light by crowding together in dark corners. A response to light is an important part of an animal’s ecological behavior as it might help an animal more successful in finding food, escaping predators and in maintaining homeostasis. This is an innate behavior of isopods.

Certain behaviors displayed by animals are directly related to the reproductive success of an individual animal. Attracting a mate and caring for offspring are important for reproductive success. Emperor penguins live in a very complex ecological niche and exhibits courtship behavior, nurturing behavior and territorial behavior. They are highly social and live in large groups.

Courtship behavior- An animal engages in courting behaviors in order to attract a mate. Emperor penguin usually finds a new mate each breeding season. However they remain with one mate in one breeding season. He attracts a female by making loud calls. Nurturing behavior- When parents are engaged in providing care to their offspring in the early stages of development, they display nurturing behavior. This includes providing food, protection and life skills. It is the male penguin that incubates the egg and nurtures the young penguin.

Territorial behavior- Many animals establish a territory which contains resources such as food or potential mates etc. Penguins also show territorial behavior by living in large colonies and guarding their nests.

In addition to these behaviors, emperor penguins also show communication skills. They are highly vocal.

Hence emperor penguins show most complex ecological behavior.

Answer to Problem 37A

Out of the given three animals; emperor penguins, earthworms and isopods; the animal that has the most complex ecological behavior is emperor penguin because it exhibits courtship behavior, nurturing behavior and territorial behavior.

Explanation of Solution

Earthworms display habitual behavior. Sometimes animals learn over time that a potentially important stimulus deserves little or no attention. Initially when the earthworm was touched with a paintbrush it responded by withdrawing but when the stimulus continued many times, it did not respond. This decreased response to a repeated stimulus is called habituation. This helps the earthworm to ignore unimportant stimuli and focus more on important stimuli such as food, a mate or a predator.

Isopods are common arthropods that are found on sidewalks or patios. They respire through gills and so they prefer high humidity. They respond to light by crowding together in dark corners. A response to light is an important part of an animal’s ecological behavior as it might help an animal more successful in finding food, escaping predators and in maintaining homeostasis. This is an innate behavior of isopods.

Certain behaviors displayed by animals are directly related to the reproductive success of an individual animal. Attracting a mate and caring for offspring are important for reproductive success. Emperor penguins live in a very complex ecological niche and exhibits courtship behavior, nurturing behavior and territorial behavior. They are highly social and live in large groups.

Courtship behavior- An animal engages in courting behaviors in order to attract a mate. Emperor penguin usually finds a new mate each breeding season. However they remain with one mate in one breeding season. He attracts a female by making loud calls. Nurturing behavior- When parents are engaged in providing care to their offspring in the early stages of development, they display nurturing behavior. This includes providing food, protection and life skills. It is the male penguin that incubates the egg and nurtures the young penguin.

Territorial behavior- Many animals establish a territory which contains resources such as food or potential mates etc. Penguins also show territorial behavior by living in large colonies and guarding their nests.

In addition to these behaviors, emperor penguins also show communication skills. They are highly vocal.

Hence emperor penguins show most complex ecological behavior.