WILD ORIGINS: THE EVOLVING NATURE OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOR by Ifigenia Flores A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Corcoran College of Art + Design in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Exhibition Design Committee: _____________________________________________________ Veronica Jackson, Thesis Advisor _____________________________________________________ Clare Brown, Department Chairperson _____________________________________________________ Catherine Armour, Provost May 2013 Corcoran College of Art + Design Washington, DC Wild Origins: The Evolving Nature of Animal Behavior A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at the Corcoran College of Art + Design by Ifigenia Flores Bachelor of Arts in Psychology American University, 2007 Advisor: Veronica Jackson, Adjunct Faculty, Exhibition Design Spring Semester 2013 Corcoran College of Art + Design Washington, DC Copyright: 2013 Ifigenia Flores All Rights Reserved This project is dedicated to my dog, Pluto, for his friendship and love. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to my advisor, Veronica Jackson, for her guidance and to Philip Brady, Selma Thomas, and Clare Brown. I am also grateful for everything I’ve learned from my former internship supervisors, colleagues, and friends at the Freer | Sackler Galleries and the Newseum. I would not have been able to complete my project without the help of my friends and classmates at the Corcoran. To Aura, Jorge, Blanca, Tatiana, Leonardo, Pluto, and the rest of my family: thank you for the encouragement and support. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract 1 Foundation Statements 2 Site Selection 5 Target Audience 8 Take-Aways 9 Key Resources 10 Visitor Experience 15 Content Chapter 1: Biodiversity and the History of Life on Earth 17 Content Chapter 2: Food for Thought 23 Content Chapter 3: Social Animals 27 Content Chapter 4: Sexy Beast 30 Content Chapter 5: Interspecies Relationships 33 Content Chapter 6: Domestication 35 Content Chapter 7: Navigating the World 37 Content Chapter 8: Endless Forms Film 40 Appendix 1: Content Outline 42 Appendix 2: References 45 Appendix 3: Exhibit Resources Database 48 iii ABSTRACT WILD ORIGINS: THE EVOLVING NATURE OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOR Ifigenia Flores, MA Exhibition Design Corcoran College of Art + Design, 2013 Thesis Advisor: Veronica Jackson For billions of years, evolution has been the driving force behind the incredible range of biodiversity on our planet. Wild Origins is a concept plan for an exhibition at the National Zoo that uses case studies of animal behavior to explain the theory of evolution. Behaviors evolve, just as physical forms do. Understanding natural selection can help us interpret animal behavior and vice-versa. A living collection, digital media, interactives, fossils, and photographs will relay stories of social behavior, sex, navigation and migration, foraging, domestication, and relationships between different species. The informal learning opportunities visitors are offered at the zoo will create a connection with the exhibition's teaching points. Visitors will leave with an understanding and sense of wonder at the evolutionary view of life. 1 FOUNDATION STATEMENTS MISSION Wild Origins presents the case for evolution through studies of animal behavior. There is a growing wealth of scientific evidence that supports the theory of evolution; the exhibition will explore compelling accounts of the power of these processes to create the great variety of life in the animal kingdom. TOPIC EXPLAINED For billions of years, evolution has been the driving force behind the incredible range of biodiversity on our planet; its processes result in changing forms and behaviors throughout the animal kingdom. Biodiversity is essential to the health of ecosystems, which are interconnected and interdependent, in part due to the behaviors of animals. Understanding and preserving biodiversity helps prevent the spread of diseases, provides us with food and materials, increases our knowledge in various scientific fields, and sustains ecological systems. In addition to these practical benefits, it is important to respect the intrinsic value of the variety of life. Though extinction is a natural part of life on Earth, we are undergoing a mass extinction event as a direct result of the actions of our own species. Habitat destruction, over- harvesting, poaching, and pollution are all related to the accelerated rate of extinction we see today. There is an increasing need for conservation leaders to take action in protecting the natural world and motivate others to do the same. Over a century of scientific research supports the idea that species evolve. This is typically thought of in terms of appearance and internal structure; however, the biological basis of 2 behavior has also been well-documented. Physical appearance and internal structure are part of each being’s phenotype, a term which covers anything that is observable in a living organism, including behavior. Phenotypes are the outward, physical manifestations of genotypes, or genetic codes which are passed down from one generation to the next. Many arguments against evolution state that it is “just a theory.” In science, theories refer to substantiated explanations for observations that can be repeatedly confirmed. Whereas theory may refer to a guess in everyday vernacular, in the scientific usage, a theory is as close to proven as anything can be. TITLE RATIONALE The main title of the exhibition, Wild Origins, is a playful reference to Darwin’s seminal work, On the Origin of Species. While some of the species featured in the exhibition are not wild, the title speaks to the fact that every living organism is descended from a common ancestor. The subtitle refers to three major themes of the exhibition: evolution, nature, and behavior. SHARED VALUES The exhibition functions in accordance with a set of shared ideals, some of which are common to the National Zoological Park (where the exhibition will be set) and the Smithsonian Institution as a whole. These will act as guiding principles and help articulate the standards and goals of the exhibition. Conservation: fostering respect for the planet, an interest in wildlife, and stewardship of our natural resources Discovery: an emphasis on education and research, the accumulation and diffusion of new knowledge, and invoking a sense of wonder Objectivity: a scientific approach 3 Diversity: within the collection Responsibility: to the public, the living collection, and the natural world Collaboration: within the National Zoo and the Smithsonian Institution and with other zoos and research centers worldwide TEACHING POINTS • The overarching goal of the exhibition is to present the theory of evolution and explain why animals behave the way they do. The extraordinary diversity seen in nature is the result of evolutionary processes; describing that scope will be a main focus. Genetic variation within species, heredity, and differential reproduction (some individuals within a population produce more offspring than others) are the ingredients of natural selection. • Evolution is an observable process, though, in many instances, it takes place over thousands of years. There is a growing wealth of scientific evidence that backs up evolutionary theory. • Zoos are sometimes thought of in a negative light, but their main focus today is on conservation. They are important research and educational centers. • Behaviors evolve. Morphology, or the physical appearance of an organism, and behavior are inextricably linked because they are both based in genetics. • Many people think of humans as being very separate from animals; the exhibition will refute this idea by placing our own evolution within the context of all other life on Earth, which also has and will continue to evolve. 4 SITE SELECTION The exhibition will be held at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in order to integrate it with the greater experience of seeing a variety of different animals. This will help reinforce the point that there is a huge range of biodiversity on the planet, and visitors will be tuned in to the fact that this includes humans. Zoos promote research in conservation, biology, and animal welfare, all of which are closely related to the goals and values of the exhibition. The scientific study of animal behavior helps zoo staff understand and promote naturally-occurring behaviors in their captive animals. This is hugely important to the welfare of each zoo’s living collection. Not only do zoos have an ethical responsibility to provide the best care possible for their animals, but healthy individuals are necessary for propagating zoo populations. The National Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and participates in their Species Survival Plan (SSP) program. The SSP program manages selected animal populations in zoos to ensure the survival of those species. It is a cooperative effort among zoos and aquariums to maintain genetically diverse and demographically stable populations so that they can be self-sustaining within zoos. Many of the species included in this program are endangered or threatened in the wild, meaning that captive breeding programs may be their only chance of survival. This collaboration establishes research and conservation priorities, develops breeding and transfer plans across zoos and aquariums, and creates an integrated approach to progressing research and increasing public awareness. 5 Placing the exhibition