Chapter 7 Flashcards
behavior
anything organisms do that involves action in response to internal or external stimuli; the response of an individual, group, or species to its environment; such responses may or may not be deliberate and they aren’t necessarily the results of conscious decision making
ecological
pertaining to the relationships between organisms and all aspects of their environment (temperature, predators, nonpredators, vegetation, availability of food and water, types of food, disease organisms, parasites, etc.)
behavioral ecology
the study of the evolution of behavior, emphasizing the role of ecological factors as agents of natural selection; behaviors and behavioral patterns have been favored because they increase the reproductive fitness of individuals (i.e., they are adaptive) in specific environmental contexts
social structure
the composition, size, and sex ratio of a group of animals; the social structure of a species is, in part, the result of natural selection in a specific habitat, and it guides individual interactions and social relationships
metabolism
the chemical processes within cells that break down nutrients and release energy for the body to use (when nutrients are broken down into their component parts, such as amino acids, energy is released and made available for cells to use)
matrilines
groups that consist of a female, her daughters, and their offspring; common among macaques
life history traits
characteristics and developmental stages that influence reproductive rates; ex: longevity, age at sexual maturity, length of time between births, etc.
dominance heirarchies
systems of social organization wherein individuals within a group are ranked relative to one another; higher-ranking animals have greater access to preferred food items and mating partners than lower-ranking individuals; sometimes called “pecking orders”
communication
any act that conveys information to another individual; frequently, the result of communication is a change in the behavior of the recipient; may not be deliberate but may instead be the result of involuntary processes or a secondary consequence of an intentional action
autonomic
pertaining to physiological responses not under voluntary control; example in chimpanzees: erection of body hair during excitement; human example: blushing; both convey information regarding emotional states, but neither is deliberate, and communication isn’t intended
grooming
picking through fur to remove dirt, parasites, and other materials present; social grooming is common among primates and reinforces social relationships
displays
sequences of repetitious behaviors that serve to communicate emotional states; nonhuman primate displays are most frequently associated with reproductive/agnostic behavior; ex: chest slapping in gorillas, dragging and waving branches while charging and threatening other animals in chimps
language
a standardized system of arbitrary vocal sounds, written symbols, and gestures used in communication
affiliative behaviors
amicable associations between individuals; reinforce social bonds and promote group cohesion (ex: grooming)
reproductive strategies
behaviors or behavioral complexes that have been favored by natural selection to increase individual reproductive success; need not be deliberate, and often vary considerably between males and females
K-selected
pertaining to K-selection, an adaptive strategy whereby individuals produce relatively few offspring, in whom they invest increased parental care; although only a few infants are born, chances of survival are increased for each one because of parental investments of time and energy; birds elephants, and canids (wolves, coyotes, and dogs) are examples of K-selected nonprimate species
r-selected
pertaining to r-selection, a reproductive strategy that emphasizes relatively large numbers of offspring and reduced parental care compared with K-selected species (K and r-selected are relative terms; ex: mice are r-selected compared with primates but K-selected compared with insects)
sexual selection
a type of natural selection that operates on only one sex within a species; the result of competition for mates; can lead to sexual dimorphism with regard to one or more traits
polygonous
pertaining to polygyny; a mating system in which a male mates with more than one female; the most common mating pattern found in mammals, including most primates
polyandry
a mating system in which a female continuously associates with more than one male with whom she mates; among nonhuman primates, only seen in marmosets and tamarins; also occurs in a few human societies
encephalization
the proportional size of the brain relative to some estimate of overall body size, such as weight; more precisely, the term refers to increases in brain size beyond what would be expected given the body size of a particular species
anthropocentric
viewing nonhuman organisms in terms of human experience and capabilities; emphasizing the importance of humans over everything else
core area
the portion of a home range containing the highest concentration and most reliable supplies of food and water; core area is defended
territories
portions of an individual’s or group’s home range that are actively defended against intrusion, especially by members of the same species
prosocial behaviors
actions that benefit other individuals and/or a society as a whole; loosely speaking, the term “prosocial” is the opposite of “antisocial”
altruism
actions that benefit another individual but at some potential risk or cost to oneself
empathy
the ability to identify with the feelings and thoughts of another individual
biological continuum
refers to the fact that organisms are related through common ancestry and that behaviors and traits seen in one species are also seen in others to varying degrees (when expressions of a phenomenon continuously grade into one another so that there are no discrete categories, they are said to exist on a continuum; color is one such phenomenon)
