Animal Behavior (BIOL 4230/5230)

Spring 2010

OBSERVING BEHAVIORS AND CONSTRUCTING AN ETHOGRAM (10 points)

INTRODUCTION
Todays lab has two goals, both of which are aimed at getting you to watch animals carefully and describe behaviors accurately. First, we want to utilize some basic observation techniques common to many behavior studies. Second, we want to describe the behaviors in an organized, and hopefully repeatable, manner. Part I: Making Observations of Behavior Perhaps the most basic question in any behavior study is, How will I observe the behaviors in which Im interested? The obvious answer would be, Watch them! But how long will we carry out the observation? What if there are many individuals to watch? How do we make sure that we see (or hear, or smell) all the behaviors we want to? Each of these questions is important, and should be considered when deciding how you will carry out your observations. Behavioral scientists have developed a number of techniques that attempt to consistently document behaviors. Well focus on two of these methods in this weeks lab. Each has strengths and weaknesses, but represent the two dominant ways of recording behaviors. A. Focal (or continuous) sampling: Here, the observer picks a single individual and records behaviors for a set period of time (for example, one hour). One advantage of this is that, with a timer, you can determine the amount of time spent doing specific behaviors. However, since you observe only one animal you get no sense of variation among individuals. You can overcome this problem by focal sampling multiple organisms, but this leads into the second disadvantage; focal sampling takes a fair amount of time. B. Scan sampling: Here, the observer scans a large number of organisms for a short period (for example, 30 sec) and records the number of individuals doing each kind of behavior. Typically, this process is repeated at regular intervals, such as once per hour, per day, etc. Here you get a sense of variation among individuals, but you are unable to assign sequences (or sets) of behaviors to individuals unless you mark them somehow. Part II: Defining Behaviors Once you have decided how to sample for behaviors, you next must decide what behaviors you will sample; will you record all of them, or just some specific types? A fundamental question then arises: how will you define your behaviors? If you are working with a well-studied animal (say a chimpanzee), then previous workers might have done this for you. However, those working with something new will need to define behaviors somehow. Well go over how to do this in some detail during lab, but the key points are to make your definitions (1) understandable to anyone reading them and (2) repeatable, in the sense that another observer would recognize the behavior as consistent with your description. Once you have defined your behaviors, you may want to organize them in some coherent way. To do this you can construct an ethogram, which may be defined in a couple of ways. At its most basic, and least useful, an ethogram is simply a list of behaviors which an animal performs. However, we want this list to have some sense of organization, rather than just be a compendium of behaviors grouped randomly. Therefore, we construct an ethogram in one of two ways. First, we can define behaviors and then group related behaviors together as a set. For instance, we could group together all behaviors associated with looking for food, and keep this list separate from behaviors associated with mating behavior, avoiding predators, territory marking, etc. Note that we may want to know all behaviors that an animal does, or we may focus only on behaviors related to a specific function (such as finding food). This will depend on the nature of the question you ask.

Animal Behavior (BIOL 4230/5230)

Spring 2010

Second, if we want to get a little more complex we can construct an ethogram as a flow chart, rather than just as a list. In this flow chart, we indicate which behaviors lead to which other behaviors; that is, we now can have some sense of the sequence of behavioral events. As an example, heres an ethogram illustrating fighting behavior in male fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster.

Ethogram courtesy labworks.hms.harvard.edu/fruit_fly/thriller

You can see that from Fencing, the interaction can go either to Retreat or Slow Approach. Once a Slow Approach occurs, the flies have one of four options: Retreat, Hold, Fast Approach, or Wing Threat. On this ethogram, you can also see that males are much more likely to Wing Threat than to Hold following a Slow Approach; this is so because arrow width indicates the frequency at which a behavioral transition occurs. Note that not all ethograms will use this convention; some simply have arrows all the same width to indicate that a transition can occur, but with no indication of relative frequency. METHODS Part I: Initial Observations and Sampling As our study animals we will be using either mice or crickets. The first thing you want to do is simply watch a single cage for 10-15 minutes and jot down all the behaviors you observe; this is sometimes called ad lib sampling, and serves as a first step in making more detailed observations. You will eventually need to come up with a name and an operational definition for each behavior you describe, but writing this down explicitly can be done now or later. After making this preliminary list, you will need to do scan sampling and focal sampling. These can be done in any order. Focal sampling should be carried out for 30 minutes on a single individual. (NOTE: Be sure to select one that is initially doing something! Its pretty boring to sample a continuously sleeping mouse, for instance). While observing this individual, keep track of how much time it spends in each behavior. This does not have to be extremely accurate! What you want to get is a rough estimate of the relative frequency of each behavior. Scan sampling should be done once every 3 minutes for 30 minutes (this should give you a total of 11 observations). Each scan should be short, essentially a snapshot of behaviors. Record the number of individuals doing each behavior at the time of the scan.

Animal Behavior (BIOL 4230/5230)

Spring 2010

Part II: Making the Ethograms From the scan and focal sampling, I want you to construct two ethograms. The first will be a list-type ethogram, as illustrated at the end of this handout. In this, you need to define each of your behaviors and then group them in some manner, so that behaviors which seem to be associated together are listed under a single category with some suitable behavioral group name. The second ethogram will be a flow-chart similar to the fruit fly example, and can be constructed from the focal sampling. Here you need to indicate which behaviors are sequentially connected, and indicate by width of the arrow how often each transition occurs.

Animal Behavior (BIOL 4230/5230)

Spring 2010

Sample Ethogram Species: Captive Humboldt Penguins ( Spheniscus humboldti ) Authors: Kathleen Merritt and Nancy E. King, Research Dept., Washington Park Zoo. Methods: Focal animal and time sampling. Agonistic Staring: This includes sideways staring during which the focal bird holds its head to one side with one eye fixed on the object bird, and alternate staring during which the focal bird moves its head from side to side staring first with one eye and then the other at the object bird. Group staring: Focal bird is part of a group of three or more birds staring or vocalizing at another bird that is in proximity to the group. Gaping: The focal bird leans its body toward another bird, with neck out stretched, beak open, and emits a harsh call. The threatened bird is within 2 feet of the focal bird. Pointing: With its body leaning toward another bird, the focal bird stretches its neck, with its beak closed, and points at the other bird. The threatened bird is within 2 feet of the focal bird. Pecking: Focal bird uses its closed beak to make a quick jab at another bird. Charging: Focal bird rushes toward another bird. Beaking: Two birds grasp, lock, and tug beaks, occasionally twisting their heads. Beak vibrating: While standing or lying within one wing length of each other, two birds rapidly and repeatedly clap their beaks against each others beak. Pair-directed behaviors Ecstatic displaying: The focal bird extends its head vertically, collapses its chest several times, apparently taking several breaths of air, flaps its wings, and emits a long, loud call that resembles the braying of a donkey. Mutual displaying: Focal bird is one of a pair of birds. The pair stand side by side, extend their heads vertically, collapse their chests several times, apparently taking several breaths of air, flap their wings, and emit a long, loud call that resembles the braying of a donkey. Allo-preening: Focal bird preens another; mutual allo-preening occurs when birds preen each other simultaneously. Social wing vibrations: Focal bird approaches a second bird from behind and vibrates its wings against the second birds body. Mounting: Female lies on her sternum and male lays his chest on her back. Bowing: While standing next to another bird, the focal bird points its beak toward the ground and vibrates its head from side to side. Other: Any behavior not described above was classified as other. Not visible: Birds were not visible.

Animal Behavior (BIOL 4230/5230)

Spring 2010

Ethogram of Selected Bicolored Tamarin ( Saguinus bicolor ) Behaviors Work done by students at Beaver College Social Activity Code Operational Definition
Allogroom A One tamarin examines the coat of another by using its fingers and/or mouth. Playing with each other P Tamarins engage in playful activity with one another, such as touching, tugging, chasing or swinging at one another Interact with humans I This includes keepers, visitors, and observer. The tamarin approaches the individual and reacts with an aggressive or affiliative response of social behavior. Contact V One tamarin comes in contact with the other while engaging in a solitary behavior.

Solitary Activity Code Operational Definition Off exhibit/nest box O One, but usually all, tamarins are off exhibit and not visible inside the nest box. Eating/Drinking E The tamarin is involved in the process of actively taking in food. This behavior includes eating, chewing, examining or holding food Maintenence M Any of a number of behaviors including excretion of feces and urine, autogrooming and scratching

Animal Behavior (BIOL 4230/5230)

Spring 2010

Scentmarking T The tamarin rubs its anogenital, pubic, or back region along any surface. This occurs in a sitting, sprawling, or dorsal position. This behavior can be performed in a sitting or sliding motion on the object being scented. This behavior was also scored as a bout of a specific type of scent mark in the matrix provided. Climbing/Jumping C The tamarin is in the process of navigating its way through the enclosure by way of branches of trees, vines, or the cieling of the cage. This activity can occur slowly or rapidly in a running motion. When jumping, the tamarin is in the air in a leaping motion, with all of its forelimbs off the ground in a stretched position. Exploring X The tamarin is actively involved in exploring its environment by observation. This is typically scored when the tamarin is in a sitting position. Foraging F The tamarin is actively involved in the process of locating food, either on the ground, or on the platform. The tamarin picks through the mulch while staring intently at the ground in search of insects or fallen food.