Do All Animals Act on Instinct?
Do All Animals Act on Instinct?
Innate behavior refers to behavior that is based on innate characteristics. Although we cannot change the basic nature of instinctual behavior, we can certainly change details of our behaviour. Biological instincts are invariant traits of animal behaviour. However, experience can change those characteristics. Experiences may lead us to change our behavior in ways that are not necessarily instinctive. So, do all animals act on instinct? Read on to discover more.
Natural selection
Adaptation by natural selection is the process through which an organism shapes itself to fit its environment, much as a mirror forms an image of a scene in an organic structure. An organism develops adapted traits by one of two mechanisms: phylogenetic processes acting over the course of evolution, or ontogenetic processes acting within the lifetime of an individual. Ontogenetic processes involve learning and phylogenetic processes are the products of genetics.
When studying the origin of instinct, Darwin looked at both wild and domesticated species, including insects and ground-nesting water birds. He hypothesized that a person's behavior was based on habit, but he was not sure how the individual had acquired a determinate instinct. One of his observations included a female graylag goose that instinctively pushed an egg back into her nest when it was spotted outside the nest. This behavior, known as fixed action pattern, involves a sequence of actions that occurs regardless of whether a stimulus is present or not.
The generalization of Darwin's theory of natural selection to animals' actions was a breakthrough in evolutionary biology. This idea is similar to that used for human traits. Behavioral traits vary among individuals and are passed down through heredity. The more common an animal possesses the trait, the more likely it is to survive in its environment. For example, the cuckoo bird lays its eggs in other birds' nests and ants use their prey as slaves.
Genetics
Although most animals are born with certain innate behaviors, some behaviors are learned and not genetically determined. While they are influenced by genetics, these actions can have survival and reproduction benefits and increase fitness. A simple example is building a nest. An infant bird does not learn how to build a nest until it reaches around six months old. If the bird is able to learn how to build a nest at an early age, it will likely obtain a mate more often.
The process of nest building, for example, is an example of an innate behavior. A female graylag goose instinctually pushes her egg back into the nest. The sight of the egg outside the nest triggers the behavior. This is referred to as a fixed action pattern and involves a series of actions that continue even if the stimulus is removed. In addition to nest building, some species of animals exhibit innate behavior such as predator avoidance of prey and social isolation.
Researchers have looked at the genetics of animal instinct to learn more about its development. These researchers conducted experiments on animals raised in barren environments and found that some genetic lines of animals are more fearful than others. Using the open field test, these researchers were able to determine whether the behavior is inherited or acquired. The open field test involves placing the animal in an arena with a gridded floor. The researchers then observed how much the animals explored the space and whether their behavior was determined by genetics.
Innate behavior
Animals behave in ways that are innate to them. These behaviors are tightly controlled by genes, and occur naturally in all members of a species, when they are first exposed to a stimulus. These behaviors do not require practice or repetition, and they are therefore called "instincts."
Animals have innate behaviors, including the ability to fight and defend themselves. Humans, on the other hand, have to learn these behaviors, and have only a few innate traits. Only a handful of human behaviors are truly innate, and those are primarily reflexes. Infants, for example, grasp objects in their palms without conscious control. This innate behavior is an expression of the hypothalamus.
Instincts are inborn responses that animals have to different stimuli, such as physical danger or a predator's presence. Animals do not think about their actions, and they are largely unconsciously driven by survival. A bird reaching for its egg, for example, has an instinctive character. This behavior is geared toward survival of the young, and continues to stretch until the egg is retrieved. While instincts are inborn, it has nothing to do with intelligence.
The limbic system has various sites where evolution could have taken place, including in the vomeronasal organ. The vomeronasal organ contains receptors that react to predatory stimuli. These stimuli usually trigger a defensive or fearful response. Rat mating follows a similar mechanism. The main olfactory epithelium and vomeronasal organ detect pheromones from the opposite sex and travel to the medial amygdala where they are disseminated to various parts of the brain. The pathways that drive this innate circuitry are very specialized and highly specialised.
Ecology
The term "instinct" has several meanings, and scientists often invoke more than one in a single article. That muddiness reflects the fact that scientists have difficulty defining this concept. No one doubts the existence of species-typical behavior, and no science of behaviour can fail to attempt to make sense of it. But what is instinct? And how do animals determine their own survival? And is it always beneficial?
Instinct is a basic biological process that describes the inclination towards complex behaviour. This behaviour is a mix of learned and innate elements. The simplest example of instinct is a fixed pattern of actions in response to a well-defined stimulus. Such behaviour occurs spontaneously and is considered an "instinctive" behavior. This phenomenon is the basis of many animal species' survival and reproduction. The definition of instinct is not universal, however.
The modern study of instinct was formally established in the 1930s with the creation of ethology, a sub-field of zoology that focuses on behavior in natural settings. The field gained fame after its founder, Konrad Lorenz, who photographed ducklings walking behind him as if they were their mother. Lorenz and his collaborators, including Charles Darwin, won the Nobel Prize in 1973 for their work.
Evolution
Young's theory of life shows that there are three separate stages of evolution: the cellular organization based on DNA, the evolution of animal instinct, and the development of consciousness in human and super-human beings. These stages are related to the fourfold structure and demonstrate the recursive nature of the universe. For instance, evolution of consciousness requires that each animal master all fourfold structures: control, freedom, and organization. From there, the fourfold structure is the constraint that life must overcome to organize itself, and then it becomes the power and freedom that allows life to diversify and expand. The theory of process depicts the descent and ascent through the fourfold structure as a seven-stage arc, with the final three stages represented by forms of life.
Nature of instincts
K.F. Rulier formulated the task of ecological research in 1841. His studies revealed that animals had instincts and mental activity based on their ability to respond to external influences. He also proposed a comparative historical approach to studying the organic world. Rulier was influenced by the work of several other scientists including Alfred Wegener, David Hume, and Charles Darwin. These scientists worked together to explain the origin and evolution of animal behavior.
