BEHAVIORAL VARIATIONS AS EVIDENCE OF NEUROPLASTICITY IN ANIMALS

Pedich Galina Gennadievna, Kozyulina Svetlana Vadimovna

The article examines the phenomenon of animal mental plasticity — a complex capacity of the nervous system and behavior to change under the influence of internal and external stimuli, which ensures adaptation to dynamic environmental conditions. The key role of plasticity as an evolutionary mechanism that enhances species survival in conditions of ecological diversity is emphasized. The aim of the study is to analyze how behavioral deviations in animals reveal the boundaries and potentials of mental plasticity, as well as to identify the mechanisms underlying adaptive and maladaptive behavioral changes.

Keywords:animal mental plasticity, behavioral deviations, adaptation, stereotypies, stress responses, ethology, evolutionary flexibility