Behavioral Genetics and Animal Science - Genetics and the Behavior of Domestic Animals - page 19

white crowned sparrow, chaffinch, and parrot, can develop local song dia-
lects ( Nottebohm et al., 1976 ; Adler, 1996 ). Sparrows are able to learn songs
by listening to recordings of songs with either pure tones or harmonic over-
tones. Birds trained with harmonic overtones learned to sing songs with har-
monic overtones, but 1 year later, 85% of their songs reverted back to innate
pure tone patterns ( Nowicki and Marler, 1988 ). Experiments by Mundinger
(1995) attempted to determine the relative contribution of genetics and learn-
ing in bird song. Inbred lines of roller and border canaries were used in this
study along with a hybrid cross of the two. The rollers were cross-fostered to
border hens and vice versa to control for effects of maternal behavior. The
roller and border males preferred to sing innate song patterns instead of
copying their tutors. The hybrids preferred to learn some of both songs.
Furthermore, canaries are capable of learning parts of an alien song but have
a definite preference for their own songs. Comparing these animals to those
in Brelands and Brelands (1961) exhibits, birds can be trained sing a differ-
ent song, but genetically determined patterns have a strong tendency to over-
ride learning. In reviewing all this literature, it became clear that innate
patterns in mammals can be overridden. Unfortunately, the animals tend to
revert back to innate behavior patterns.
THE PARADOX OF NOVELTY
Novelty is anything new or strange in an animal's environment. Novelty is a
paradox because it is both fear-provoking and attractive. Paradoxically, it is most
fear-provoking and attractive to animals with a nervous, excitable temperament.
Skinner (1922) observed that pronghorn antelope, a very flighty animal, will
approach a person lying on the ground waving a red flag. Kruuk (1972) further
observed attraction and reaction to novelty in Thompson's gazelles in Africa.
In small groups, Thompson's gazelles are most watchful for predators ( Elgar,
1989 ). Animals that survive in the wild by flight are more attentive to novelty
than more placid animals. Gazelles can also distinguish between a dangerous
hunting predator and one that is not hunting. In Thompson's gazelles, the most
dangerous predators attract the highest degrees of attraction. They often move
close to a cheetah when the cheetah is not hunting. Furthermore, when predators
walk through a herd of Thompson's gazelles, the size of the flight zone varies
depending on the species of predator.
Reaction to Novelty
Highly reactive animals are more likely to have a major fear reaction when
confronted with sudden novelty. In domestic animals, examples of sudden
novelty include being placed in a new cage, transport in a strange vehicle, an
unexpected loud noise, or being placed in an open field. Using various
experimental environments, Hennessy and Levine (1978) found that rats