5. Social Behaviour Flashcards
What are 4 advantages of group living?
- Animals in groups dilute their risk of predation
- reduced if larger groups are more likely to be detected
- risk dilution may be shared unequally among group members - Of value in defense of vulnerable young
- Help in detecting danger more reliably or quickly
- Group foraging leads to more efficient food detection
- but must share food resources
What 3 broad categories can social behaviour be divided into?
- Mutualistic behaviour (+/+)
- where both the ‘actor’ and the ‘recipients’ of the behaviour benefit
- would expect natural selection to favour (bc it’s a win-win) - Selfish behaviour (+/-)
- where the actor benefits but recipients experience a cost
- bc natural selection operates powerfully at the level of the individual, can be explained if behaviour traits increase the reproductive success of the individuals possessing them, even if they hurt others - Altruistic behaviour (-/+)
- where the actor experiences a cost while recipients benefit
What is an altruistic act?
An altruistic act by an individual is one which involves some cost to that individual in terms of reduced fitness but increases the fitness of one or more other individuals
When does reciprocal altruism occur?
Reciprocal altruism occurs when an altruistic act by A directed towards B is followed by some equivalent act by B directed towards A, or by an act directed towards A whose occurrence is made more likely by the presence or behaviour of B
- ex. allogrooming in cattle
What are 2 common ways in which altruism can be selected for?
- Kin selection
- heritable altruistic behaviours persist when they benefit the individual’s relatives - Reciprocation
- altruism btw non-relatives under conditions that allow for reciprocation
- cheaters can easily exploit, so only expect to see where social networks are STABLE enough for individuals to encounter one another frequently, individuals are IDENTIFIABLE, and cheaters can be ‘PUNISHED’
What are 2 basic types of defense mechanisms?
- Primary defense mechanisms
- operate regardless of whether or not there is a predator in the vicinity - Secondary defense mechanisms
- used when a predator is detected, is predicted, or “occurs”
What are 5 examples of primary defense mechanisms?
- Hiding in holes
- Exhibition of a warning of danger to predators
- Timing of activities to minimize the chance of detection by a predator
- Remaining in a situation where any predator attack is likely to be unsuccessful
- Maintaining vigilance to maximize the chance of detecting the advent of a predator
What are 6 examples of secondary defense mechanisms?
- Withdrawal to a safe retreat
- Flight and evasion
- most obvious avoidance tactic - Use of a display that deters attack
- Feigning death
- Behaviour that deflects attack
- Retaliation
- biting, fighting, butting, etc.
What happens to the anti-predator response in relation to a more dangerous stimulus?
The anti-predator response will be stronger to a more dangerous stimulus
- different from sensitization; this can be the first exposure and if the risk is perceived as more dangerous, the response will be stronger (not about repetition)
- this is an anti-predator strategies
As an anti-predator strategy, flight may be…
Socially controlled or uncontrolled
- when herd flight is controlled, animals will follow in their normal “travelling” order in which a high ranking female is often the leader
- when there is panic, flight is uncontrolled without commitment to any order
Defense reactions to man by farm animals
Man was a predator to the ancestors of our farm animals
- Still treated as a source of danger. Handlers learn to recognize stress responses in farm animals and minimize their occurrence
- If entering is preceded by a knock and the avoidance of unexpected movements and noises, such problems can be minimized
Competition
The situation where individuals seek to obtain the same resource
- need not be a physical confrontation; may be the fastest, cleverest or strongest that wins a competition
When is aggression mostly seen?
Mostly seen when groups of animals are first formed (eg when dominance hierarchy is being formed)
Agnostic behaviour
Includes all forms of behaviour by an animal associated with conflict with another animal
- embodies many of the behavioural activities of fight-or-flight and those of aggressive and passive behaviour
- form of fighting varies from species to species
- mock fighting is a variation of play behaviour (and is somewhat ritualized, as it has “rules”)
What are the fighting ABC’s?
- Subtle cues are given first to ward off an attack
- try to look BIG
- similar size animals fight more - Active fighting
- bites often made to the head or neck area
- biting, kicking, rearing, etc.
- vocalizations - Losing the fight
- losing animal will put distance btw itself and the other individual
- outside a “critical distance” an animal is less likely to attack
- distances vary depending on temperament, experience, comp for resources
*when dominance is established the encounter ends
Avoidance reactions can be what?
Passive = makes itself look small
Active = runs away
