Nature versus Nurture: Is There a Genetic Basis for Behaviors?

! From the gene’s perspective, behaviors produce successful organisms.

! The selfish gene concept provides a framework for understanding genetically based
behaviors.
! Experiments on lovebirds and honeybees show that certain behaviors have a genetic basis
and are inherited in a Mendelian fashion.

Richard Dawkins first conceptualized the

selfish gene in 1976. According to the
concept, a gene will produce an organism that
is successful so that in turn, the gene is
successful. In turn, the gene will be replicated
in subsequent generations. The selfish gene
concept provides a framework for
understanding the genetic basis of behaviors.

Social behavior, based in part on genetic

factors, can enhance individual survivorship in
penguins. The selfish genes of the penguin
favor this successful behavior.
Experiments and observations of nest building
behavior in different species of lovebirds
provide insight into the genetic basis of
behavior.

The Fischer’s lovebird acquires nest building

material by tearing long strips of paper and
carrying them back to the nest. The peach-
faced lovebird tears short strips that it weaves
into its feathers.

A hybrid of the two species tears medium

length strips for the nest. It attempts to tuck
the strip into its tail but doesn’t let go, pulling
the strip back out and sometimes dropping it.
Eventually the bird learns to keep the strip in
its beak.

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 Another example of the genetic component of
behaviors involves honeybees.

Honeybees are sometimes predisposed to a

particular bacterial infection. When a larva is
infected, adults uncap the cell and remove it.
This so-called hygienic strain exhibits the
“uncap-and-drag” behavior. Unhygienic
strains ignore the infected larva.

The experimenters hypothesized that separate

genes controlled uncapping and dragging.
Previous experiments had shown that each of
the uncapping and dragging behaviors was
dominant, whereas the absence of these
behaviors was recessive. The experimenters
then established pure breeding lines of
hygienic and unhygienic bees and crossed the
two strains. The resulting F1 offspring
displayed both hygienic behaviors of
uncapping and dragging. The F1 offspring
were then backcrossed with the unhygienic
strain to determine their genotype.

Because the unhygienic strain’s genotype was

known, it was possible to make predictions
about the ratio of F2 offspring for a given F1
genotype. Based on the phenotypic outcome,
it was determined that the F1 genotype
matched the expected genotype.

The results confirmed that the behaviors were

inherited in a Mendelian fashion and thus were
genetically based.

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Copyright © 2000, Thinkwell Corp., All Rights Reserved. 031600bio303