questions and the associated ideas of causation underlie behavioral ecology.
The study of the evolution of and ecological basis for animal behavior.
respond to changes in the environment?
decide where to carry out their activities?
select the resources they need (food, water, shelter, nest sites)?
respond to predators and competitors?
associate with other members of their own species?
Behavioral choices have been molded by natural selection such that individuals act "as if" they knew how their choices would influence their survival and reproductive success.
Interactions among individuals of the same species may give rise to complex social systems.
Biological interactions also include those between individuals of different species and between organisms and their physical environment.
Individual behavioral choices are the foundation of much of ecology because changes in the densities and distributions of populations are the cumulative results of the decisions of many individuals.
Responding to Environmental Variation
Any organism has made decisions throughout its life history as it grew to maturity, reproduced, and suffered the effects of aging.
Animals choose:
where to settle
how long to stay there, and when to leave