Innate Behaviour

Innate means an ability or quality that is present in an organism from its birth. We can say that it is inherited that passes from generation to generation, from parents to offsprings.

So ,Innate behavior can be called as instinctive behaviour refers to the pre-programmed, genetically determined actions or responses of an organism that are present from birth which do not require any learning or experience to acquire it.

Generally, innate behaviors occur in the same fashion among all members of a species, and they provide a key component to ensure that species survive and adapt well within a predictable environment. Examples of innate behavior include: reflexive blinking, the automatic mechanism of swallowing, chewing, and instinctive bird songs.

One of the most distinguishing features of innate behavior is that it often presents a chain of actions.

1. Genetically Inherited:

The genetically inherited innate behaviors pass from the parents to their offspring. This gives the species a guarantee of survival behaviors being passed through generations.

2. An Organism Exhibits:

It Right from the Time of Birth: Organisms display these behaviors right from birth or hatching. These are not acquired through the process of observation but are born into the organism.

3. Uniformity among members of a species:

Such responses are uniform in every individual of a species. A specific organism, irrespective of its environmental experience or upbringing, presents an exact profile of response to a given stimulus.

4. Automatic:

Such behavior does not develop from what a living organism may think about or choose to do. These are rapid responses induced because of some form of external stimulus, which the living organism acts on automatically and without conscious volition.

5. Invariable:

Innate behaviors hardly change. Despite the environmental condition or exposure, such behavior tends to repeat itself along the life span of the organism.

Instinctive actions can be exhibited in the form of the stimulus being either internal or external with the different responses.

The Major Types Are:

1. Reflexes: These are simple, automatic, and immediate reactions to specific stimuli.

They are involuntary and take place without conscious thought.

Examples:

If light changes abruptly, blink

If hand is touched to hot surface, pull it away

If food enters mouth, swallow

2. Instincts: These are complex patterns of behavior which are genetically based and occur without experience or learning, and often they have survival functions.

Examples:

The complex mating ritual of a peacock to attract a mate

Monarch butterflies migrating between hundreds of miles of altitudes

Spider building webs geometrically precise

Birds building nests following specific techniques

3. Fixed Action Patterns (FAPs): These are highly stereotyped and nearly invariant series of behaviors which would be triggered by a specific cue.

Once triggered, they usually run their course and do not typically terminate, even if the environment changes

Examples:

Birds and fish species performing mating dances

Dogs or birds exhibiting territorial behavior to mark territory

Deer freezing running when threatened by predators.

4. Imprinting: In this regard, imprinting is a fast learning that takes place during the sensitive period of early development and permits organisms to attach or recognise important individuals as carers.

Examples:

Imprinting filial such as when ducklings follow its mother in quest for safety and guidance

In sexual imprinting where some birds may recognize mates given earlier exposure to specific characteristics of mates

5. Kineses: These are random movements directed towards the stimuli in the environment but non-directed. The speed or rate of movement is determined by the strength of stimulus rather than direction.

Examples:

Increased movement of the woodlouse in dry places to find moisture (increases chances of survival but not directed).

Random meandering in insects when subjected to heat or light.

6. Social Instincts: These are behaviors from contact with others in the species and often are adaptive for the survival of the population or the individual's kin.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Examples:

Parental care, feeding, and protection of young

Altruistic behaviors, when one organism sacrifices itself for its kin's good

Territorial defense, through aggressive behavior, in many species of animals

7. Emotional Responses: Many of the emotional behaviors, especially those dealing with survival, are instinctive and reflexive.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Examples:

Reacting with fight, flight, or freeze when threatened

Display love or a feeling of tenderness toward others

8. Sensory-Motor Responses: These are reflexive behaviors elicited by stimuli which involve coordination between input from the sensors and output from the effectors.

Examples:

Visual tracking, in which organisms automatically follow moving objects

Auditory orientation, in which the head turns toward the source of a sound

9. Motor Patterns: It includes innate, structured movements which are not dependent on external apparatus and are advanced on the nervous system.

Examples:

Locomotory movements such as walking, jumping, or swimming

Postural control and balance demonstrated by organisms to facilitate the orientation of the body

10. Neuroendocrine Behaviors: Hormonal influence mainly plays the primary role in most of the instinctive behaviors, primarily those related to biological rhythms and survival mechanism.

Examples:

Responses to thirst and hunger, as a result of some internal stimulus that the body lacks food or fluids

Circadian rhythms, or an internal schedule in the body that controls sleep-wake cycles

Absolute Advantages of Instinctive Behavior

Energy-Efficient Innate behavior refers to rapid reaction to environmental stimuli, sometimes meaning between life and death survival at such times of imminent danger or when situations are changing too fast.

Since these are not learned by trial and error or memory intensive, these behaviors conserve energy that might be wasted on trivial survival activities, hence making survival tasks efficient.

In addition, innate behaviors are very many and involve direct survival and reproduction of the organism, such as predator avoidance, mating, and feeding.

These behaviors are predictable and reliable so that members of the same species always react in the same way to the same stimuli thus lending credence to species-wide adaptation.

Instinctual behaviors have been developed through time so as to suit the particular environmental requirements of the species, making sure organisms survive in their natural habitats.

Infant animals are able to adapt to their environment shortly with innate behaviors because they do not require a long learning period.

Negative Impact of Instinctual Behavior

Inborn behaviors do not change according to new or altered environmental conditions, hence it allows maladaptive response.

Such instinctive behaviors allow less scope for innovative problem-solving or adaptation toward novel and unprecedented problems.

Predictable behavior can be exploited by predators, thus reducing the scope of survival potential of an organism.

As instincts are not amendable to learning, the organisms are not in a position to change or adapt them in light of prior experience or new information.

Instinctive behavior may be in conflict with the learned behavior as at some points the instinctive behaviors may find their ways hand in hand with behaviors acquired through experience: this is a source of confusion or even inefficiency.

Instincts can become obsolete after some time as organisms adapt to the environment, and it becomes inconsistent for the organisms to adapt to the new situation.

Complete dependence on instinctive behavior sometimes limits an organism's ability to evolve and grow in its cognitive aspect.