Social Behaviour Flashcards
Advantages of group living
Dilute risk of predation (dilution may be shared unequally among group members)
Defense of vulnerable young
Detect danger more reliably or quickly
More efficient food detection (but need to share)
What is mutualistic behaviour
Both the ‘actor’ and the ‘recipient’ of the behaviour benefit
What is selfish behaviour
Actor benefits, recipient experiences a cost
What is altruistic behaviour
Actor experiences a cost, recipient benefits
What is an altruistic act
One that involves some cost to the individual in terms of reduced fitness but increases the fitness of one or more other individuals
What is reciprocal altruism
Altruistic act by A directed towards B is followed by some equivalent act by B directed towards A
e.g. allogrooming
Two common ways in which altruism can be selected for
Kin selection
Reciprocation
What is kin selection? E.g.?
Heritable altruistic behaviour persists when they benefit the individual’s relatives
e.g. bees, wasps, ants
What is reciprocation
Altruism between non-relatives under conditions that allow for reciprocation
When do we expect to see reciprocation
Where social networks are stable enough for individuals to encounter one another frequently, individuals are identifiable, prevents cheaters from exploiting
Two basic types of defense mechanisms
Primary defense mechanisms: operate regardless of whether or not there is a predator in the vicinity (preventative)
Secondary: used when a predator is detected, is predicted, or “occurs”
Examples of primary defense mechanisms
Hiding in holes
Timing of activities to minimize chance of detection by predator
Maintaining vigilance to maximize chance of predator detection
Examples of secondary defense mechanisms
Withdrawal to a safe retreat
Flight and evasion
Use of a display that deters attack
Feigning death (freeze)
Beh that deflects attack
Retaliation (biting, fighting)
Do goats faint?
No, stress response, freeze response, not actually fainting
Controlled vs uncontrolled flight
Controlled = animals follow their normal “travelling” order, high ranking female often leads
Uncontrolled = panic, no commitment to order, more dangerous stimuli was sensed
What is competition? Is not always…
situation where individuals seek to obtain the same resources
Does not need to be physical confrontation, may be fastest, cleverest, strongest that wins
What is agonistic behaviour
Includes all forms of beh by an animal associated with conflict with another animal
Varies between species
When is aggression seen
Mostly seen when groups of animals are first formed (dominance hierarchy being formed)
Agonistic behaviour embodies…
Many of the behavioural activities of fight-or-flight and those of aggressive AND PASSIVE behaviour
What are the fighting ABCs
A: subtle cues given to ward off an attack (prevent; look big)
B: active fighting (bites to head/neck in pigs, biting, kicking, rearing in horses, vocalizations)
C: losing the fight (losing animal puts distance btw itself and other)
What is the critical distance in fighting? Varies with…
Outside of it, an animal is less likely to attack
Varies depending on temperament, experience, competition for resources
What is social submission
Varies from slight head depression with movement away from the stimulus, to assuming recumbency and refusing to rise (similar beh to sick animal)
What is flight distance
Radius of space within which the animal will not voluntarily permit the intrusion of man or other animals that might be dangerous without escaping
How does flight distance vary in domesticated animals
Flight distance to man shrinks with appropriate husbandry, human socialization
