Social Behaviour

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

Define social hierarchy

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Explain how social hierarchies work

Answer 3

Dominant individuals carry out ritualistic (threat) displays
Subordinate animals carry out appeasement behaviour to reduce conflict

Question 4

Explain the effects of social hierarchies

Answer 4

Increase the chances of the dominant animals favourable genes being passed on to offspring.
Animals often form alliances in social hierarchies to increase their social status within the group

Question 5

Describe the benefits of cooperative hunting

Answer 5

Benefit both subordinate and dominant as the subordinate animal may gain more food than by foraging alone

Question 6

Describe the advantages of cooperative hunting

Answer 6

Less energy is used per individual
Enables larger prey to be caught
Increases chance of success

Question 7

How do social defence strategies increase the chance of survival?

Answer 7

Some individuals can watch for predators

whilst others can forage for food and groups adopt specialised formations when under attack protecting their young

Question 8

Good sharing will occur as long as…

Answer 8

The reward for sharing exceeds that for foraging individually

Question 9

Altruistic behaviour

Answer 9

Harms the donor individual but benefits the recipient

Question 10

Reciprocal altruism

Answer 10

The roles of donor and recipient later reverse

Question 11

What is a simple model of altruism

Answer 11

Prisoners dilemma

Question 12

Kin selection

Answer 12

Behaviour that appears to be altruistic can be common between a donor and a recipient if they are related

Question 13

Benefit to donor in kin selection

Answer 13

Increased chance of survival of shared genes in the recipients offspring or future offspring

Question 14

Describe the evolution of societies of insects

Answer 14

Bees
Wasps
Ants
Termites
Only some individuals contribute reproductively

Question 15

I’m insect societies what individuals contribute reproductively

Answer 15

Queens and drones

Question 16

What do sterile workers in the colony do?

Answer 16

Most members of the colony are sterile workers who cooperate with close relatives to raise relatives

Question 17

Give examples of other workers’ roles

Answer 17

Defending the hive
Collecting pollen
Carrying out waggle dances to show the direction of food

Question 18

Why is it that sterile workers raise relatives?

Answer 18

Increase survival of shared genes

Question 19

In primates, what allows for complex social behaviour?

Answer 19

A long period of parental care allows learning of complex social behaviour

Question 20

Describe complex behaviours that support social structures

Answer 20

Grooming
Facial expressions
Body posture
Sexual presentation

Question 21

How do social behaviours reduce conflict?

Answer 21

Through ritualistic display and appeasement behaviour

Question 22

Why are alliances formed between individuals?

Answer 22

To increase social status within the group