Notes on Social Behaviour and Cooperation in Animals

This set of flashcards captures key terms and definitions related to cooperation and altruism as discussed in the lecture notes for BIO220.

Altruism

Behavior that increases another individual's fitness at a cost to one's own fitness.

Cooperation

Behavior that benefits two or more individuals when adopted by them.

Game Theory

A mathematical framework to analyze strategic interactions among rational individuals.

Hawk-Dove Game

A model that describes the conflict over resources between individuals using two strategies: Hawk or Dove.

Reciprocity

The practice of exchanging mutual benefits among individuals, often observed in repeated encounters.

Shared Direct Benefits

Immediate advantages gained from cooperative behaviors among individuals.

Kin Selection

An evolutionary strategy favoring the reproductive success of an organism's relatives, even at a cost to the individual.

Eusociality

A form of social organization characterized by cooperative brood care, overlapping generations, and division of labor.

Sentinel Behavior

A behavior in which an individual stands guard to warn others of impending danger.

Cooperative Breeding

A social breeding system where individuals assist in raising offspring that are not their own.

Extinction Risk Assessment

The evaluation of factors that could lead to the extinction of a species.

Speciation

The evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species.

Reciprocal Altruism

Altruistic behavior that is performed with the expectation of future reciprocation.

Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma

A repeated scenario in game theory where cooperation or defection can lead to different payoffs.

Fitness

An individual's ability to survive and reproduce, measured by the number of offspring produced.

Social Behavior

The interactions and responses to other individuals of the same species.

Behavioral Ecology

The study of the evolutionary basis for animal behavior due to ecological pressures.

Macroevolution

Evolutionary changes that occur at or above the level of species.

Population Dynamics

The study of how and why populations change in size and structure over time.

Conservation Policy

Regulations and guidelines aimed at protecting and preserving natural resources.

Temperature-dependent Sex Determination

A mechanism by which the temperature at which eggs develop determines the sex of the offspring.

Gametic Selection

The process in which certain gametes (sperm or egg) are more likely to fertilize than others.

Microplastics

Small plastic particles less than 5mm in size that can cause environmental harm.

Ecotoxicology

The study of the effects of toxic chemicals on biological organisms, especially within the context of ecosystems.

Anthropogenic Effects

Environmental changes caused by human activity.

Environmental Stressors

Factors in the environment that induce stress in organisms.

Resource Competition

The competition between individuals or species for limited resources.

Evolution of Cooperation

The process through which cooperative behaviors evolve due to their benefits in reproductive success.

Punishment in Animal Behavior

The cost imposed on an individual for non-cooperative behavior.

Niche Construction

The process by which organisms alter their own (or each other's) environment, often enhancing their survival.

Altruistic Behavior

Behavior that benefits other individuals at a cost to oneself.

Predator Inspection

A behavior where individuals approach a predator to assess risk before feeding.

Sociobiology

The study of the biological basis of social behavior in animals.

Direct Fitness

The fitness gained through an individual's direct offspring.

Indirect Fitness

The fitness gained from supporting relatives' offspring.

Hamilton’s Rule

A principle stating that altruism can evolve if the cost to the altruist is less than the benefit to the recipient weighted by their relatedness.

Genetic Relatedness

The proportion of genes that two individuals share due to common ancestry.

Evolutionarily Stable Strategy (ESS)

A strategy that, if adopted by a population, cannot be invaded by any alternative strategy.

Social Structure

The organized pattern of relationships and social arrangements within a group.