3.6 Social Behaviour

Question 1

State some advantages of living in social groups

Answer 1

Easier to catch food
Increased Protection
Help finding mates
Help raising young

Question 2

What are the tree main types of social grouping?

Answer 2

Social Hierarchy
Co-operative hunting
Social Defense

Question 3

Describe ‘Social Hierarchy’ and give an example of a species that features social hierarchy

Answer 3

Social hierarchy is where members of the social group are ordered in rank going from the most dominant individuals to the most subordinate
Examples: Chimpanzees, Wolves, Hens

Question 4

What are the two ways in which the social hierarchy of a group is maintained?

Answer 4

Ritualistic Threats displays (teeth bared, eyes staring)
Submissive Gestures (eyes covered, head lowered)

Question 5

What is advantages of social hierarchy?

Answer 5

Fighting is minimised, saving energy

Successful genes get passed on to next the generation

Question 6

How do animals improve their position in hierarchy?

Answer 6

By forming alliances

By challenging the dominant member

Question 7

What is an advantage of cooperative hunting?

Answer 7

• Larger prey can be tackled

- Everyone gets a share of food

Question 8

Give an example of a species that use cooperative hunting

Answer 8

Wolves, Lions

Question 9

Give an advantage of being in a group in relation to defence?

Answer 9

• More eyes to look out for predator
• Safety in numbers
• Harder to pick out individuals

Question 10

Describe the features of primate behaviour

Answer 10

Long parental care
Alliances
Dominance and Subordinate behaviours

Question 11

What does long parental care allow for?

Answer 11

Learning of complex social behaviours

Question 12

What is an alliance?

Answer 12

Social bonds that develop between individuals

Question 13

Why is it of importance that lower males/females form alliances?

Answer 13

To increase their social ranking

Question 14

Give examples of behaviours seen in a ritualistic displays

Answer 14

Chest beating

Aggressive Verbal Sounds

Question 15

What are some advantages of ritualistic displays?

Answer 15

• Reinforces dominance of head male

- Allows challenger to practice assessing threats

Question 16

Give some examples of subordinate behaviours seen in primate social groups

Answer 16

Grooming

Question 17

Altruism is a behaviour that ______ the donor individual but ______ the recipient.

Answer 17

Harms…benefits. Altruism is a behaviour that harms the donor individual but benefits the recipient.

Question 18

What two reasons explain why altruism happens?

Answer 18

• Kin selection

- Reciprocal altruism

Question 19

Kin selection is a form of altruism where the donor and recipient that are _______.

Answer 19

related (kin). Kin selection is a form of altruism where the donor and recipient that are related.

Question 20

Explain why kin selection form of altruism happens?

Answer 20

Occurs as the donor will benefit in kin selection in terms of the increased chances of survival of shared genes in the recipient’s offspring or future offspring.

Question 21

Helper behaviour is another form of kin selection, describe this type of behaviour.

Answer 21

a form of kin selection common amongst birds, where the older offspring help raise younger offspring.

Question 22

Define the term reciprocal altruism.

Answer 22

Where donor and recipient roles later reverse. Expectation that the favour being returned by the recipient when there is a need.

Question 23

What type of animal is reciprocal altruism common amongst?

Answer 23

Social animals

Question 24

Do insects exhibit complex or basic social behaviour?

Answer 24

Complex behaviour

Question 25

List some examples of social insects.

Answer 25

• Termites
• Ants
• Wasps
• Bees

Question 26

Which members of social insect societies are sterile and which are fertile?

Answer 26

Sterile = Workers
Fertile = Queens and drones

Question 27

What tasks are sterile workers in social insect societies carrying out?

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Why do sterile workers in social insect societies contribute to the hive if they cannot pass on any genes of their own?

Answer 28

Kin selection. Sterile workers are all related to the fertile queen and drones so their shared genes are passed on.