Social Behaviour 3.6

Question 1

Many animals live in social groups and have behaviours that are adapted to group living such as…

Answer 1

Social Hierarchy
Cooperative hunting
Social Defence

Question 2

What is social hierarchy?

Answer 2

A rank order within a group of animals consisting of a dominant and subordinate members.

Question 3

How is the dominant position established?

Answer 3

By ritualistic (threat) display behaviour.

Question 4

How are the subordinate positions established?

Answer 4

They carry out appeasement behaviour to reduce conflict.

Question 5

Why are animals form alliances in social hierarchies?

Answer 5

To increase their social status within the group.

Question 6

(With the example of wolves) what type of privileges will the dominant male have?

Answer 6

First choice of food, sleeping locations and mates.

Question 7

(With the example of wolves) What threat gestures are used to show his powers?

Answer 7

Raising of ears, baring of teeth and widening eyes.

Question 8

(with the example of wolves) what submissive behaviour is used by the subordinates?

Answer 8

All body parts lowered, covering teeth and averting gaze.

Question 9

What is a pecking order in birds?

Answer 9

The dominant individual can peck all the others but does not get pecked in return.
The bird below this one can peck all the birds except the first and so on.

Question 10

What are the advantages of social hierarchy?

Answer 10

• There is an increased chance of species survival
• Increased chance of the dominant animals’ favourable genes being passed to offspring
• Reduces aggression between group members
• Guaranteed experienced leadership

Question 11

What is Cooperative Hunting?

Answer 11

It involves a group of animals working together to find and catch prey.

Question 12

How does cooperative hunting benefit the group?

Answer 12

• More likely to successfully kill prey
• Sharing of food so all members gain more energy than by -foraging alone
• Energy used per individual is decreased
• Allows larger prey to be brought down

Question 13

What are some examples of animals that use cooperative hunting?

Answer 13

Dogs/Wolves
Lions
Chimps
Dolphins

Question 14

What is social defence?

Answer 14

Involves a group of animals acting together to defend.

Question 15

What are some ways of social defence? (4)

Answer 15

1. Some individuals can watch for predators whilst others can forage for food
2. Many individuals can better fend off predator attacks
3. Many ears, eyes and noses are more likely to detect predators
4. Travelling as a group makes it more difficult for predators to pick off an individual and can protect vulnerable individuals. Groups adopt specialised formations when under attack protecting their young

Question 16

What do social defence strategies do?

Answer 16

Increase the chance of survival

Question 17

What is an Altruistic Behaviour?

Answer 17

It is one which harms the donor but benefits the recipient.

Question 18

What is reciprocal altruism?

Answer 18

Often occurs in social animals. It relies on the idea that the roles of the donor and recipient will later reverse.
(Favour returned)

Question 19

What is Kin Selection and how is it beneficial?

Answer 19

Altruistic between related individuals. The donor will benefit indirectly in terms of the increased chances of survival of shared genes in the recipient’s offspring or future offspring.

Question 20

What are social insects and what do they do?

Answer 20

Social insects exhibit social behaviours which means that they live together in large organised family groups and exhibit a range of complex behaviour like:

• Cooperative care young
• Parents and their offspring living together
• The development of a caste system

Question 21

What are some examples of social insects?

Answer 21

Bees, wasps, ants and termites

Question 22

What does the reproduction and survival of a colony depend on?

Answer 22

All members working together

Question 23

Who is responsible for reproduction?

Answer 23

Only a few fertile individuals (namely queens and drones) contribute reproductively to the group

Question 24

Who is responsible for food gathering, rearing young and defence? (Social insects)

Answer 24

These roles are carried out by lots of sterile members of the colony. These workers cooperate with close relatives to raise relatives. By helping raise relatives, sterile workers increase survival of shared genes.

Question 25

What are the three castes of honey bee within a hive?

Answer 25

Queen - 1 in a colony produces all the eggs
Workers - thousands of females build the nest, collect food and rear young
Drones - few hundred males that fertilise the queen eggs

Question 26

Why do bees do the ‘waggle dance’

Answer 26

To show the direction of the food to other colony members who can also then successfully gather food.

Question 27

What are the four castes of ant within a colony?

Answer 27

Queen - 1 in a colony produces all the eggs
Workers - many sterile females build the nest, collect food and rear young
Soldiers - many sterile females defend the colony
Drones - many males that mate with the queen

Question 28

Benefits of insect social behaviour

Answer 28

Social insects display kin selection - they behave altruistically towards other members of the colony to help survival of shared gens to the next generation

Question 29

What are primates?

Answer 29

Primates are mammals that usually posses dexterous hands and feet with opposable digits.

Question 30

Primate societies have ____ social behaviours to support the social hierarchy

Answer 30

Complex

Question 31

What happens during the long periods of parental care?

Answer 31

Young primates learn the complex social behaviours required for survival such as hunting, foraging and recognising danger.
They can learn through observation

Question 32

(Gorillas) Care to offspring

Answer 32

Until the age of 5 months the infant is in physical contact with its mother. After she will gradually allow the infant to leave her but by the age of a year they will only move as far as 5m away

Question 33

(Gorilla’s) Communication

Answer 33

Gorillas have at least 22 distinct sounds used to communicate to eachother

Question 34

(Gorillas) Facial Expressions

Answer 34

Aggression is often displayed by a stern fixed stare with lips pressed together.
Fearful with open mouth, exposed canines and eyes shifting nervously
Playful with open mouth, no teeth showing and relaxed eyes

Question 35

(Gorillas) Play

Answer 35

Allows juveniles to practise skills from eachother are from the silverback.

Question 36

What does the silverback gorilla do when young are playing?

Answer 36

Keeps them in line and also protect younger from older juveniles when rough and tumble play becomes annoying.

Question 37

How is conflict reduced in Primates?

Answer 37

Ritualistic displays and appeasement behaviour. (Social hierarchy)

Question 38

What appeasement behaviours do Gorillas show?

Answer 38

Grooming, facial expression, sexual presentation and body posture.

Question 39

(Gorillas) grooming

Answer 39

Grooming removes parasites such as lice and is an important social activity. It occurs between all members of the troop, reinforcing relationships and is an effective way f reducing tension within the group.

Question 40

How can social status be increased (primates, gorillas)

Answer 40

Forming alliances between individuals

Question 41

What does the grooming alliance mean?

E.g. in velvet monkeys

Answer 41

Males leave the group at puberty but females remain and will inherit their mothers social status. This status is maintained by grooming behaviours.
If a mother produces female offspring who there ar e few other babes other females are keen to groom the new born regardless of the rank of the mother - THIS INCREASES THE MOTHERS SOCIAL STATUS

Question 42

Alliances to raise rank?

Answer 42

Individuals may become allies in order to maintain or improve their social status. The more a male chimpanzee for example can form, the more chance he has at being dominant.