Chapter 3-Lesson 5 Notes

How Can Behavior Help an Organism Survive?

Behavioral Adaptations

The way in which an organism acts in response to stimulus is called a behavior.

A behavioral adaptation is an action that aids survival.
Examples:

• Escaping danger
• Building protective shelters
• Gathering or capturing food
• Finding a mate
• Reproducing
• Caring for young

Inherited Behavior

Any behavior that an organism is born with, and does not have to learn, is an inherited behavior.

Reflex

An instinct is a type of inherited behavior that helps an organism act in a way that aids in its survival.

A reflex is the simplest type of inherited behavior.  It is a quick, automatic response to a stimulus.

Learned Behavior

Learned behavior is a reaction to stimulus that an organism is not born with.  The organism must learn or be trained to carry out a learned behavior.

Examples:

• A jaguar cub learning to hunt
• A dog that has learned to obey commands
• A Seeing Eye dog that is trained to guide the blind

 Ducklings hatched in an incubator mistakenly follow a human around since they instinctively follow the first moving object they see.  Under normal conditions, imprinting guarantees that ducklings will follow their mother and subsequently learn necessary survival skills.