3.6 Social Behaviour Flashcards
What is a social hierarchy?
A social hierarchy is a rank order of animals consisting of dominant and subordinate members
What behaviour do dominant individuals carry out?
Dominant individuals carry out ritualistic (threat) displays to reduce conflict
What behaviour do subordinate animals carry out?
Subordinate animals carry out appeasement behaviours to reduce conflict
What is a benefit of social hierarchies?
Social hierarchies increase the chances of the dominant individuals favourable genes being passed onto the offspring
Why do animals often form alliances?
Animals form alliances in social hierarchies to increase their social status within the group
Why might co-operative hunting benefit subordinate animals?
They may gain more food than by foraging alone
What are the benefits of co-operative hunting?
Increases the chance of success and larger prey can be caught
What is a social defence strategy?
Social defence strategies are when groups adopt specialised formations when under attack to protect their young
Why are social defence strategies beneficial?
Social defence strategies increase survival as some individuals can watch for predators while others can forage for food
What is reciprocal altruism?
Reciprocal altruism is where the roles of the recipient and donor later reverse and often occurs in social animals
What are some examples of workers’ roles?
Workers’ roles include defending the hive, collecting pollen and carrying out waggle dances to show the direction of food
What is the role of sterile workers?
Sterile workers raise relatives to to increase the survival of shared genes
What are examples of complex social behaviours?
Grooming, social behaviour, body posture and sexual presentation
