3.6 - social behaviour

• What is social hierarchy?

  A rank order within a group of animals consisting of dominant and subordinate members
• how do dominant individuals act in a social hierarchy?

  Ritualistic displays
• How do subordinates act within the social hierarchy?

  Appeasement behaviour
• What is an advantage of appeasement behaviour?

  Reduces conflict
• Benefit of a social hierarchy?

  Increases the chances of the dominant animals favourable genes being passed onto offspring
• Why do animals form alliances within a social hierarchy?

  Increase social status
• Advantage of cooperative hunting?

  Gain more food than foraging alone
• why do animals conserve more energy by cooperative hunting?

  Take turns hunting so less energy is used per individual
• cooperative hunting allows larger prey to be caught and increases the chance of success
• How do social defends strategies increase chance of survival?

  some individuals can watch for predators whilst others forage for food
• What is a social defence strategy?

  Specialised formations to protect young when under attack
• What is altruistic behaviour ?

  Harms donor and benefits recipient
• What is Kin selection?

  Altruistic behaviour between related individuals
• What is reciprocal altruism?

  reverses roles of donor and recipient
• Give 2 examples of social insects?

  • bees
  • ants
• What is the function of the queen?

  be fertilised
• What are the function of drones?

  fertilise the queen
• What do workers do?

  • defend hive
  • collect pollen
  • waggle
• What is The benefit of different roles in a social group?

  increase survival of shared genes
• Why do primates have a long period of parental care?

  to allow learning of complex social behaviours