Explain Some Ethological Activities

Comparative studies of behaviour or activities are also used in systematic for identification of organisms. The comparative study of the behaviour  of the fiddler crab (Uca) show that the males display their large right chelipads in a characteristic manner. That is the males, of each species have a specific 'fiddling display pattern'. This characteristic display makes it possible to recognise even closely related species from a distance.

The ethological activity of nest building and its resulting structure is also used in systematic and has proved very useful in identification of not only birds but in insects as well as in other animals. It has been used, for instance, in separating two morphologically similar bees of genera Anthidium and Dianthidium. The identification is based on the type of material used in nest (hive) construction by the two species. The former uses cotton plants fibres while the latter uses resinous plant exudations and sand or pebbles.

Another ethological characteristic used in systematic is the type and nature of web construction which has proved extremely useful in identification of mites, caterpillars and spiders. Thus ethological data is frequently used in systematic along with taxonomic information from other approaches.