Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

Example of Primary literature:

English, M. et al. 2014. Plant selection and avoidance by the Bornean elephant
(Elephas maximus borneensis) in tropical forest: does plant recovery rate after
herbivory influence food choices? Journal of Tropical Ecology. 30:371-379.

Example of Secondary literature:

Fay, M.J. 2007. Last stand in Zakouma. National Geographic.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/03/ivory-wars/fay-text/1

Largest living
animals in Asia
Live in social
groups
Communicate
through low
amplitude sounds
(infrasound)
Gestation
(pregnancy) lasts
18-22 months!
One way to
physically
distinguish from
African elephants:
their ears are much
smaller
Conservation
status:
Endangered.
Threatened by
habitat loss

Problems the class has been experiencing:

Being away from home

Commuting
Leaving loved ones
Caring for/about loved ones
Summer ending
Transitioning between environments
Communication barriers
Picking classes/things to learn
Choosing a major/career
Grades, thesis, MCAT (learning)
Future success
Balancing responsibilities
Organizing priorities
Time management
Procrastination

Balancing social life

Defining relationships
Social disagreements/disputes
Money/Resources
Weight gain
Exercise more
Stress, stress, stress!
Self-esteem
Self-discovery
Inadequate living conditions
Mental health problems
Sleep!
Jet lag

Problems the class has been experiencing:

Being away from home

Commuting
Leaving loved ones
Caring for/about loved ones
Summer ending
Transitioning between environments
Communication barriers
Picking classes/things to learn
Choosing a major/career
Grades, thesis, MCAT (learning)
Future success
Balancing responsibilities
Organizing priorities
Time management
Procrastination

Balancing social life

Defining relationships
Social disagreements/disputes
Money/Resources
Weight gain
Exercise more
Stress, stress, stress!
Self-esteem
Self-discovery
Inadequate living conditions
Mental health problems
Sleep!
Jet lag

The Science of Animal Behavior!

What will we learn today:
1. Why we should all care about animal behavior
2. How to define Animal and Behavior
3. Measuring behavior via ethograms
4. How and why to use the scientific method to study
behavior
5. The importance of distinguishing between
correlations and causality
6. Hypotheses versus theories
7. What knowledge we gain from primary versus
secondary literature

Why did people

paint animals
on caves?

Why do we care about animals now?

Agriculture

 USDA estimates 1/3 of all food and beverages consumed in US are

dependent on pollination
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates 71% of worlds most
widely-consumed crops are pollinated by bees and these crops are worth
at least $207 billion.
Colony Collapse Disorder:
substantial amount of
worker bees
disappearing/dying off
In US, estimates 21-50%
die off last year

Neonicotinoids: widely
used pesticides linked to
bee death (30+ studies
show this)
Pesticides are multibillion dollar industry
and fighting back

We must understand how chemicals we

produce/changes to the environment
affect animal health and behavior

Why do we care about animals now?

Service animals

What is an animal? --- Is this an animal?

people

earthworm

tadpole

centipede

oyster

Sea sponge

What is an animal? --- Is this an animal?

plants

archaea

fungi

protist

bacteria

virus

Hierarchy of biological classifications 8 major taxonomic ranks

1. Archaea

2. Bacteria

3. Eukarya

(Prokaryotic)

(Eukaryotic)

1. Animalia 2. Plantae 3. Fungi 4. Protista 5. Archaea 6. Bacteria

~ 35 different phyla (Chordata vertebrates- is one)

Aves

Columbiformes
Columbidae
Columba
livia

Common Pigeon
(Columba livia)

How do we define Behavior?

Behavior: any internally coordinated, externally
visible pattern of activity that responds to
changing external or internal conditions
Internally coordinated: internal
processing (endocrine/
neurotransmitter signaling,
sensory information processing)
Externally visible: patterns we can
observe and measure

How do we define Behavior?

Behavior: any internally coordinated, externally
visible pattern of activity that responds to
changing external or internal conditions
Internally coordinated: internal
processing (endocrine/
neurotransmitter signaling,
sensory information processing)
Externally visible: patterns we can
observe and measure

Kingfisher catching a fish

Is the kingfisher behaving?
Is the fish behaving?

How do we measure behavior?

Ethogram: formal description or inventory of an
animals behaviors
Researchers use to measure frequency, duration,
rate, intensity, etc. of behaviors
Why?

Can determine both the total and relative time an

animal is engaged in the behavior.
Example: How much does it sleep and when? How much does it eat and when?
How much does it engage in A, B, and/or C social behaviors, and when? Etc.

An example of how this knowledge can be of use:

Research question: What

behaviors do captive Asian
elephants exhibit? (Rees 2009)

Made an Ethogram of behaviors witnessed every

5 minutes for entire day once a week for 11
months at Chester Zoo (UK)
Calculated a Time budget
A summary of the total time and relative frequency of
different behaviors of an individual

What did they find?

Results:
Elephants spent about one-quarter of their time
feeding
Stereotypic behavior (captivity-induced behavioral
anomalies, like repetitive behaviors that lack purpose)
decreased the more time elephants spent eating

Conclusion:
Using widely spaced feeders to supply food slowly and
at random times could reduce the frequency of
stereotypic behavior!
**Great example of how using classic ethograms to study behavior can
improve the lives of captive animals**

Using the scientific method to study animal behavior

Scientific Method: A general framework that
allows us to formulate and test hypotheses, thus
learning about the natural world.

What is a hypothesis?
It is not just an educated guess.

Hypotheses are explanations that

make predictions that can be
tested!

Using the scientific method to study animal behavior

Tamarin monkeys live in
troops in Panamanian
rainforest. When females
have babies, all of the
males in the group help
care for them.

tamarin monkey
(Saguinus geoffroyi)

Using the scientific method to study animal behavior

tamarin monkey
(Saguinus geoffroyi)
Why do all the males care
for the females babies
instead of just the dad?

Using the scientific method to study animal behavior

All of the males are in some
way related to the babies
(dad, brother, uncle, etc.).
Thus, by taking care of them,
they are helping to pass on
their genes to the next
generation.

tamarin monkey
(Saguinus geoffroyi)

(This is called Fitness: the

survivorship and reproductive
success (ability to produce viable
offspring) of an individual)

Alternate hypothesis (Ha): male care depends

on relatedness to offspring
Null hypothesis (H0): male care does NOT
depend on relatedness to offspring

Using the scientific method to study animal behavior

tamarin monkey
(Saguinus geoffroyi)

Males in the troop are

related to the babies they
help care for

Alternate hypothesis prediction: males caring

for offspring will be related to them in some
way (father, brother, uncle, etc.)
Null hypothesis prediction: males caring for
offspring will NOT be related to them

Using the scientific method to study animal behavior

tamarin monkey
(Saguinus geoffroyi)

Paternity analysis
a.k.a. DNA fingerprinting or
DNA profiling. Basically, hair is
sampled from mom, babies,
and males in the group to gauge
the % relatedness between
individuals

Using the scientific method to study animal behavior

tamarin monkey
(Saguinus geoffroyi)

All males that care for the

babies are in some way related
to them (father, brother, uncle,
etc.)

Using the scientific method to study animal behavior

tamarin monkey
(Saguinus geoffroyi)

All males that care for the

babies are in some way related
to them (father, brother, uncle,
etc.)

Using the scientific method to study animal behavior

tamarin monkey
(Saguinus geoffroyi)

HYPOTHETICALLY:
Test shows that not all males
are related to the babies they
are caring for

Using the scientific method to study animal behavior

tamarin monkey
(Saguinus geoffroyi)

New hypothesis:
Unrelated males caring for
babies are practicing to be
efficient fathers when they do
have babies. This experience
will benefit their own offspring
in the future.

Using the scientific method to study animal behavior

tamarin monkey
(Saguinus geoffroyi)

TRUE RESULT:
All males that care for the
babies are in some way related
to them (father, brother, uncle,
etc.)
Hypothesis: All of the males are in
some way related to the babies (dad,
brother, uncle, etc.). Thus, by taking
care of them, they are helping to pass
on their genes to the next generation.

Using the scientific method to study animal behavior

tamarin monkey
(Saguinus geoffroyi)

TRUE RESULT:
All males that care for the
babies are in some way related
to them (father, brother, uncle,
etc.)
Did we PROVE our hypothesis?

Scientist behind the study:

Samuel Daz-Muoz, Ph.D. (NYU)

Switch to video of interview with Dr. Diaz-Munoz

tamarin monkey
(Saguinus geoffroyi)

Using the scientific method: correlation vs. causation

There is support for the hypothesis (males that care for
babies are related to them), and male care even may be
correlated with relatedness to babies.

tamarin monkey
(Saguinus geoffroyi)

Does this mean that being related to a baby in the troop

will cause the male to care for it?

We cannot be sure. Data are only correlative: variables

vary together in a predictable fashion.
100 Positive correlation

100 Negative correlation

Male
care

Male
care

Relatedness to babies

100

0
Relatedness to babies

100

Correlation versus Causation

Arrrrg! We have global warming because there are

no more pirates, matey! Bring back ye pirates and
save the planet!

CORRELATION
DOES NOT EQUAL
CAUSATION

CORRELATION
DOES NOT EQUAL
CAUSATION

CORRELATION
DOES NOT EQUAL
CAUSATION

CORRELATION
DOES NOT EQUAL
CAUSATION

CORRELATION
DOES NOT EQUAL
CAUSATION
CORRELATION
DOES NOT EQUAL
CAUSATION

CORRELATION
DOES NOT EQUAL
CAUSATION

CORRELATION
DOES NOT EQUAL
CAUSATION

CORRELATION
DOES NOT EQUAL
CAUSATION

CORRELATION
DOES NOT EQUAL
CAUSATION
CORRELATION
DOES NOT EQUAL
CAUSATION

CORRELATION
DOES NOT EQUAL
CAUSATION

Now, some other basic things

to know before we learn
about and evaluate research
in animal behavior

Hypothesis versus Theories

Research Hypothesis: explanation based on assumptions. Can test. When
a hypothesis has been tested MANY times (hundreds/thousands!) without being
rejected, it becomes a theory:

Scientific Theory: well-substantiated explanation that forms the basis of

our understanding of the natural world.
I have a theory* that Cersei is going to murder
Tyrion on this weeks Game Of Thrones episode
Saying colloquially/in every day conversation that
you have a theory generally means something very
different from what an actual theory is.

Hypothesis versus Theories

Research Hypothesis: explanation based on assumptions. Can test. When
a hypothesis has been tested MANY times (hundreds/thousands!) without being
rejected, it becomes a theory:

Scientific Theory: well-substantiated explanation that forms the basis of

our understanding of the natural world.
Example: Darwins Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection:
More individuals are produced each generation that can survive. Phenotypic variation exists among
individuals and the variation is heritable. Those individuals with heritable traits better suited to the
environment will survive.

Hypothesis versus Theories

Research Hypothesis: explanation based on assumptions. Can test. When
a hypothesis has been tested MANY times (hundreds/thousands!) without being
rejected, it becomes a theory:

Scientific Theory: well-substantiated explanation that forms the basis of

our understanding of the natural world.
Example: Darwins Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection:
More individuals are produced each generation that can survive. Phenotypic variation exists among
individuals and the variation is heritable. Those individuals with heritable traits better suited to the
environment will survive.
OR

Einsteins Theory of Relativity

OR

Newtons Theory of Gravity

Hypothesis versus Theories: MISCONCEPTIONS

Misconception #1: Evolution is just a theory.
This implies that a theory should be interpreted as just a guess or a hunch, whereas in
science, the term theory is used very differently.
Note: Evolution is a very well-substantiated theory, highly supported by the fossil record, studies of
DNA and phylogenetics (the study of evolutionary relationships among groups), proteomics,
physiology, biochemistry, biogeography, animal behavior and much, much more

Misconception #2: Theories become facts when they are

well supported and/or proven.
implies that theories become facts in some sort of linear progression. In science,
theories never become facts. Rather, theories explain facts.
implies research provides proof in the sense of attaining the absolute truth. Scientific
knowledge is always tentative and subject to revision should new evidence come to
light.

Anthropomorphism can be problematic when

studying Animal Behavior
Anthropomorphism: attributing human motivations, characteristics, or emotions
to animals.

Why is this problematic?

This dog is sad

This panda baby is waving hi

This cat is happy

This gorilla thinks youre crazy

Anthropomorphism can be problematic when

studying Animal Behavior
Anthropomorphism: attributing human motivations, characteristics, or emotions
to animals.

Why is this problematic?

Very difficult, if not impossible, to characterize the emotional

state of a non-human animal

HOWEVER.
We cannot dismiss that animals DO have emotions!
Its just very hard to study them, though many try (like
psychologists and cognitive ethologists)
Prof. Alexandra Horowitz Barnard faculty!

Do dogs display a guilty

look because they
know theyve been
disobedient?

Dogs look guilty when they

know they have been
disobedient

Do dogs experience guilt, as

evidenced by a guilty look,
when they have been
disobedient?

Dogs only give that guilty

look when they have been
disobedient

If dogs are told not to eat a treat and they

they are disobedient and eat it, they will
express a guilty look as measured by their
owners

Dogs obedience had no effect on

guilty look. But owner behavior
(scolding) did!
Not statistically
significantly
different

The hypothesis was not

supported! Oh no!
Is that a bad thing?
Does that mean that
dogs do not experience
guilt?

Lets talk about primary versus secondary literature!

What are these

examples of?

Primary literature:
Primary or original source of scientific information
Editors of scientific journals use experts to help decide whether to accept or
reject a paper for publication
This process is called peer review
These experts evaluate the importance of the research question and validity
of hypotheses, methodology, analyses, and conclusions.
One example of how peer review process can work:
http://elifesciences.org/about#process

Secondary literature:
Interpretations or evaluations of primary literature/research commentary
on evidence

Examples: magazine and newspaper articles, textbooks, websites (usually)

Why is secondary literature important?

When you see something like this, do you believe it?

magazine add = secondary
literature
To know if the components
of miracle pill burn fat
quickly, must research the
primary literature

Had to testify before Senate

subcommittee on Consumer Protection,
Product Safety, and Insurance for false
advertising.

How do you know whats primary, peer reviewed

literature?
What is the name of the publication?
Is it endorsed by a scientific society?
Who are the authors?
Scientists affiliated with a college/university, med/vet/research
center, zoo or conservation organization?
Do authors have scientific degrees? Ph.D., M.D., D.V.M.?
Is article written in a scientific format? Intro, Methods, Results,
Discussion/Conclusion and Literature Cited?
Does the literature cite other primary literature?
Does the publication indicate that articles are peer reviewed?
Can go to website to check usually under info for authors on the
submission/review process.

The Science of Animal Behavior!

What you learned today:
1. Why we should all care about animal behavior
2. How to define Animal and Behavior
3. Measuring behavior via ethograms
4. How and why to use the scientific method to study
behavior
5. The importance of distinguishing between
correlations and causality
6. Hypotheses versus theories
7. What knowledge we gain from primary versus
secondary literature

Problems the class has been experiencing:

Being away from home

Commuting
Leaving loved ones
Caring for/about loved ones (tamarin
parental care)
Summer ending
Transitioning between environments
Communication barriers (communicating
guilt/emotions)
Picking classes/things to learn
Choosing a major/career
Grades, thesis, MCAT (learning)
Future success (fitness and reproductive
success)
Balancing responsibilities (tamarin parental
care versus only taking care of yourself,
foraging, mating with others outside of
group, etc.)
Organizing priorities
Time management
Procrastination

Balancing social life

Defining relationships
Social disagreements/disputes
Money/Resources
Weight gain
Exercise more
Stress, stress, stress!
Self-esteem
Self-discovery
Inadequate living conditions
Mental health problems
Sleep!
Jet lag

Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

Example of Primary literature:

English, M. et al. 2014. Plant selection and avoidance by the Bornean elephant
(Elephas maximus borneensis) in tropical forest: does plant recovery rate after
herbivory influence food choices? Journal of Tropical Ecology. 30:371-379.

Example of Secondary literature:

Fay, M.J. 2007. Last stand in Zakouma. National Geographic.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/03/ivory-wars/fay-text/1

Largest living
animals in Asia
Live in social
groups
Communicate
through low
amplitude sounds
(infrasound)
Gestation
(pregnancy) lasts
18-22 months!
One way to
physically
distinguish from
African elephants:
their ears are much
smaller
Conservation
status:
Endangered.
Threatened by
habitat loss