Social Behavior

Question 1

Define Social Behavior.

Answer 1

A set of interaction among individuals of the same species, this is usually beneficial to one or more individuals. (Therefore, animals only interact if it is beneficial to them).

Question 2

What are three (3) types of animal aggregation? Provide examples with answers.

Answer 2

1. Solitary e.g., Tigers, bears invertebrates.
2. Grouped together (non-social groups) e.g., School of fish, flock of birds and many herding animals
3. Grouped together (social groups) e.g., Crested black macaque

Question 3

What are the characteristics of a Solitary animal?

(location,reproduction,offpsring,numbers found in, advantage)

Answer 3

Location: Found in defended territory.
Life: Spend most of its time alone.
Reproduction: They are no longer along when they seek breeding partner/s and during parenthood, but only for a short time.
Offsprings: Chased away after they become independent.
Advantages: Solitary animals take advantage of the scare, scattered resources over a large area.

Question 4

What are the characteristics of non-social group animals?

(Associations,coorperation,quantities, advantage)

Answer 4

Association: Loose with no social interaction (antisocial) and therefore no coorperation.
Reason for non-social group: own selfish gain/ benefit. Act for their own benefit.
Advantage: Protection from predators. Reduces single indivudal preyed upon.
Example: Herding, schooling or flocking animals use this type of animal aggregation.

Question 5

What are the characteristics of social group animals?

(example, structure, advantage)

Answer 5

Example: Primates (like monkeys and humans even).
Strucutre: Dominance Hierarchies (complex structures). Some have casts which are specialized roles e.g., in bees.
Advantages: Maintenance of social structure and distribute resources.

Question 6

How can social tendencies be affect?

Answer 6

The ability for an organism to be more or less social is dependent on the restricted acess and free entry into their groups.

(level of entry retrictions)

Question 7

What is used to measure the social tendencies of animals?

Answer 7

The active given time an individual of a given species spend in a given distance of one or more conspecifics (same species).

(longer active given time, the weaker the social aggregation. Solitary?)

Question 8

What characteristics can be observed to determine the entry characteristics of an animal aggregation?

(There are 2 ways to measure).

Answer 8

1. Consistency of group memebers over time.
2. Aggression directed.

Question 9

Degrees of sociality are dependent on 5 characteristics.

(solitary,communal,quasisocial,semisocial,eusocial).

Answer 9

Highly social animal aggregations are eusocial animals: Their characterisitcs are overlapping adult generations, caste system, adult and young cohabiting, parential care, reproductive division labour, coorperative care.

(There are 6 characteristics).

Question 10

What is the key feature of solitary groups?

(Degrees of sociality)

Answer 10

These animals only exhibit parent care only.

(Parental care)

Question 11

What is the key characteristics of communal groups?

(degrees of sociality)

Answer 11

Females coorperate to form nests. Brooding is done separate.

(Parental care and young and adult cohabitation)

Question 12

What is the key characteristics of quasisocial groups?

Answer 12

Coorperative care but each females still lay their eggs

(Parental care, Young +adult cohabiting, coorperative care of young)

Question 13

What is the key characteristics of semisocial groups?

Answer 13

Some colony members do not reproduce.

(includes caste system and reproductive division of labor).

Question 14

What is the key characteristics of eusocial groups?

Answer 14

overlapping generations.

(overlapping adult generations)

Question 15

What is the highest form of social organization?

(hint:It has all degrees of sociality checked)

Answer 15

Eusocial Animals

Question 16

What are the characteristics of eusocial animals?

Answer 16

1. One female reproduce and others take care of the young.
2. Castes system utilized.

Example: Bees, termites, and naked mole rats.

Question 17

What are the characteristics of presocial animals?

(Hint: dominant pair? quantities? and no. of males and female)

Answer 17

1. Breeding pair is dominant.
2. Found in large numbers.
3. Number of males varies between species.

Example: Elephants

Question 18

What are advantages of grouping or animal aggregations?

(there are 7 identified)

Answer 18

1. Dilute predation.
2. Help obtain food and locate food.
3. Protection from environmental factors.
4. Increase in groups defense.
5. Richer learning environments.
6. Population regulation.
7. Mate selection.

Question 19

What are the disadvantage of grouped animals?

(approx. 5)

Answer 19

1. Competition for mate.
2. Competition for food.
3. Risk of spreading diseases.
4. Increased chances of inbreeding.
5. Interference with reproduction.

(advantage and disadvantage can simultaneously occur).

Question 20

What affects group size?

(3 features can)

Answer 20

1. Viligence
2. Agression
3. Food

Question 21

How can group size be affected by villigence, agression and food?

Answer 21

• Increased Villigence = decreased group size.
• Increased food leads to an increase in group size but then also a decrease after resources become limited.
• Increase aggression = increased group size.

Question 22

Cost and benefit increases with increased group size. True or False?

Answer 22

True

(fitness = benefit - cost).

Question 23

What affects the group size being larger than the optimal size?

(hint:Fit).

Answer 23

Fitness payoffs of being in a group.

Question 24

What is a major advantage of being a group?

(survival).

Answer 24

Reduced energy ependiture during movement.
Protection from predators.

(These increase the survival of individuals within the group)

Question 25

How do fish maintain a cohesive dynamic unit?

(moving at the same time without collision).

Answer 25

They do this by following 3 basic rules:
1. Always move towards the group or individuals of the group.
2. Avoid collision with one another and predators.
3. Align movement with other in the group.

Question 26

How do a school of fish maintain cohesive unit in the presence of a predator?

Answer 26

They all move directly away from the predator. They never collide in doing so because they may have the ability to predict or sense the individuals’ movement that is besides them within the group.

Question 27

What are the 2 things can change a cohesive unit of a school of fish?

Answer 27

1. Environmental cues
2. Group members can influence the cohesiveness.

Question 28

Major advantages of being in a group.

(3 reasons)

Answer 28

• Increase changes of catching prey.
• Increase defenses from predators.
• Better hydrodynamics

Question 29

How does a school of fish deal with their predators?

Answer 29

• Confusion due to their movement
• reduces individual capture therefore reduces likelihood of predation.
• Increase villigence (better detection of predators).
• Predators satiation

Question 30

Advantage of flock of birds.

Answer 30

• Better aerodynamics.
• Move in the same direction
• Keep consistant distance from eachother.

Question 31

Herding animals

Answer 31

• Benefit from lookouts.
• In presence of attack or predation they move close to the group. Ones outside are preyed on.

Question 32

Study questions from slides!

Answer 32

1.Differentiate between solitary, non-social, and social group? 2.What are characteristics attributed with increased degrees of sociality? 3.Identify the costs and benefits of living in a group. 4.How is optimal group size calculated and why do groups tend to be larger than the optimal group size? 5.How do the rules for flocking and schooling help to maintain a cohesive group? 6.What are advantages of schooling, flocking, or herding?