group living and social behaviour Flashcards
loners
highly territorial
pack animals
social, complex
3 types of social behaivours
loners, pack animals, herding animals
if they live in groups then
the benefits must outweigh the costs
some benefits of group living
improved foraging, reproductive assistance, reduced chance of predation
costs of group living
increased visibility, competition, disease contraction
the predator prey evolution leads to
an arms race; one is trying to out-do the other through evolution
both predator and prey are getting bigger; one way to get over this is co-operatively hunt
hunting techniques require
group cooperation
ex relay running, ambushing, death stare
ungulates live in herds, why
for protection (cooperation) and to reduce changes of being selected (selfish) or to outrun predators
kin selection
an animal behaves in ways that adds fitness to its close relatives; its genes are passed on
group selection
animals within the group behave for the good of the species; individuals behave (even if its costly) to ensure the group survives, so that the individual survives
- ex swooping birds
reciprocal altrusim
animal will trade aid in the present for aid in the future
selfish teamwork
cooperate in short term even though they have competing interests (herding)
stolen help
deceitful behaviour in which one gains and other pay
ex gulls stealing food
balance of costs (stolen food) and benefits (eavesdropping)
kleptomania
stealing of another group member’s food morsel
does true altruism exist
no?
wild horse
harem social system; dominant stallion with mares, not territorial
- stallions gain reproduction
- mares gain protection
selfish herds
want to be in middle; compete for positions that maximizes value gained from being in group
dilution effect
group size large so risk of being victim for any animal is diluted; however had limits due to food supply, increased visibility, reproductive success
linear hierarchy
each animal is dominated by higher ranking group members and, in turn, dominates lower ranking members
other types of dominance hierarchies
linear, triangular, complex
benefits of being highly ranked
- preferred access to food, mating, grooming, protected positions
- lower cost to group membership compared to lower ranks
costs of being highly ranked
- group leader on the move, riskier position
- eventually will be out ranked
- loss of mating opportunities due to sneaky/ satellite males
- may not dominate all resources
- physically and cognitively taxing
do dogs assert dominance
no
