Intraspecific relationships Flashcards
Agonistic behaviour
- Any social behaviour related to fighting or aggression
- ritualised behaviour
Adaptive advantages of agonistic behaviour
- ritualised fighting doesn’t kill other members of the group
- fighting to determine hierarchy or territory
Reasons for ritualised aggression
- doesn’t use as much energy
- avoids serious damaging consequences
- less waste of time
Dominant communication
- posture (bigger, fluffed up, upright)
- vocalisation
- violence
- threat displays
Submission communication
- posture (making yourself look smaller, lowering head and eyes, tail tucked)
- vocalisation (whimpering, crying)
- Displays (running away)
- Grooming
Home range
- an area that an animal moves around to collect resources or travel across
- not defended
Territory
- an area of home range that is defended and marked
- strongest attacks here normally members of the same species fighting for best territorial spot
AA of territory
- reduces direct competition so sufficient food, space and resources
- area is familiar site, protected for young
- spreads out, reduces aggression + disease
AA of home range
- no need to expend energy defending it
- familiar area for food etc
- less competition as although shared, not many others
Marking and defending territories
- singing (birds) + calls
- urine or faeces
- special scent glands which usually rub on landmarks
- waving body parts
Hierarchy
A ranked order of individuals in a group where dominance allows privileged access to food, shelter, mates
Pecking order
Linear order of dominance
Benefits of dominant hierarchy
- Limits aggression as individuals only challenging those above them
- a division of labour ie. roles
- most dominant often the fittest are leaders and decision makes, and good genes get passed on as dominance more likely to attract a mate
Courtship
Behaviour between individuals that results in mating
Aims of courtship
- Reduce conflict
- Attract mate
- Assessing receptivity of a mate
- Defending chosen mates against other suitors
- Assessing ‘fitness’
- Species recognition
- Trigger to nest building or ovulation
- Strenghten pair bond
Pair bond
Stable relationship that ensures cooperative behaviour
Mating systems
The ways in which individuals bond during courtship and mating
Polygyny
one male several females
Polyandry
one female several males
Polygynandry
several females several males
Monogamy
breeding pair that forms a partnership for season/life
Oviparity
embryo develops outside of body ie. egg laying
Viviparity
embryo develops inside of body
Methods of parental care
R-strategy and k-strategy
R-strategy
Animals that have little or no parental care
- Low survivorship
- High energy investment before birth
- Produce large numbers of offspring
- Low reproductive effort per offspring
- Effort is directed at producing, not caring
K-strategy
Animals that have parental care
- High survivorship
- High energy investment after birth
- Produce few offspring
- High reproductive effort per offspring
- Effort is directed at caring
AA of R-strategy
- Less time expenditure
- Less danger protecting offspring
- Time feeding self rather than offspring
AA of K-strategy
- Fewer gamete produced and fewer offspring need to be born
- High chance of survival
- Opportunity for offspring to learn skills
Kin selection
Strategies in evolution that favour the reproductive success of an organism’s relatives ie. parents being sacrificial to ensure the survival of offspring
Kin selection AA
- Protect, feed members of group
- Ensures some of own genes get passed on
- A reason for altruistic behaviour
Cooperative breeding
Related, non-breeding adults assist in raising the young
Sexual dimorphism
The distinct difference in size or appearance between the sexes of an animal in addition to the sexual organs themselves.
Polygyny AA
- Selection of fittest males with best genes
- More genes of fittest male in next generation
Key AA- MECPENG
Increasing genetic diversity
Getting energy or nutrients
Decreasing competition for resources
Gaining protection from predators/environment
Exploiting a resource others can’t
Saving energy
Guaranteed mate selection
AA of pair bond
Less energy required to care for young as shared effort
Provides young best chance of survival as parents can give more care (K-strategy)
