Social Behavior

What is social behavior?

Interactions between two individuals

Social behavior is an extremely ______ term

Broad

Why do social animals have an increased fitness over solitary animals?

They can share the workload between individuals

Why might an animal take on the risk of fighting to defend territory?

It provides more space for mating opportunities

A higher degree of sociality in animals is associated with…

Higher cognitive abilities

What is the scientific name for the prairie vole?

Microtus ochrogaster

What is the scientific name for the meadow vole?

Microtus pennsylvanicus

Which is more social: the prairie vole or meadow vole?

Prarie vole

How do prairie voles take care of their children compared to meadow voles?

Prairie voles form mated pairs that raise their offspring together while meadow voles are not involved in child rearing (deadbeats)

What might a researcher study in order to determine what the drivers of social behavior are?

Horomones and brain morphology

What is within-species social behavior?

Behavior between individuals of the same species

What does the term eusocial mean?

Highest level of organization

Eusocial animals operate on a _____ system

Caste

What is one example of a eusocial mammal?

Naked mole rats

What is the scientific name of the naked mole rat?

Heterocephalus glaber

Caste systems are commonly seen in…

Insects such as bees, wasps, and ants

What are some theories as to why eusocial behavior evolved?

Since all animals in the colony share DNA, they want to help each other survive, selection pressures have caused animals to become so specialized they cannot get resources on their own, and the fact that predators are less likely to attack large groups

What is a major downside of large groups, and how do eusocial animals combat this?

Increased disease transmission, by developing cleaning and grooming behaviors

Aside from keeping individuals clean, how do grooming behaviors assist a group?

By maintaining social connections

What are parasocial animals?

Animals that share a nest with others but focus on raising their own young

What is the most common mating system in the animal kingdom?

Polygyny

What is polygyny?

Where one male mates with several females

Why is polgyny so common?

Gestating and birthing young is limited, while sperm is created easily and with much less resources

Monogamy is (common/uncommon) in the animal kingdom

Uncommon

What is social monogamy?

A form of mating where a pair spends most of their time together and raises offspring together, but occasionally mates with other mates

What is a theory as to why social monogamy has evolved?

Females can have more and healthier offspring while still enjoying protection and resources and males can spread their genetic code

How can same-sex sexual behavior directly increase the fitness of a group?

By reducing conflict and creating more caretakers for the young

True or False: Animals only exhibit same-sex behaviors as a form of dominance

False

How do scientists believe same-sex sexual behavior evolved?

Spontaneously and at multiple times throughout the animal kingdom

What is the underlying reason for same-sex sexual behavior?

Unknown

Domestic sheep have up to a ____ in a population that prefers mates of the same sex

10%

What is the scientific name for domestic sheep?

Ovis aries

What is the scientific name for wild mountain sheep?

Ovis ammon

True or False: Same-sex sexual behavior is observed in both domestic and wild sheep

True

Why has same-sex sexual behavior in the animal kingdom been historically underreported?

Researcher bias, inability to distinguish between sexes, and a lack of research focus on the topic

What is the scientific names of Gentoo penguins?

Pygoscelis papua

What were the names of the two male penguins at Sea Lige Sydney Aquarium that raised chicks as a socially monogamous pair?

Sphen and Magic

How many chicks did Sphen and Magic raise together?

Two

How have Sphen and Magic changed the scientific community?

They have decreased researcher bias on the topic of same-sex sexual behavior

What is interspecies social behavior?

When two species interact with each other

Why have many animals learned to nest near humans?

They have learned they can eat the garbage humans make and other animals are unlikely to venture close

What is the scientific name of humpback whales?

Megaptera novaengliae

What interspecies social behavior have humpback whales exhibited?

Defending other animals, such as seals, from orcas

How do smaller birds of different species work together to deter predators?

Pestering them away by dive bombing them

What are the most common reasons interspecies social behavior exists?

Species live in the same environment and/or have common or conflicting motivations

What is symbiosis?

Social behavior that benefits both species that has become so ingrained in each species that they are intertwined and dependent on each other

What genus do cattle egrets belong to?

Ardeidae

Cattle egrets have a symbiotic relationship with….

Hooved animals

How does the symbiotic relationship between hooved animals and cattle egrets work?

The hooved animals attract insects and ticks, which the egrets then eat

What is a parasitic relationship?

A relationship that harms the host and benefits the parasite

What genus do clownfish belong to?

Amphiprion

How does the symbiotic relationship between clownfish and sea anemones operate?

The anemone provides a safe home for the clownfish, while the clownfish cleans, produces food for, and protects the anemone

Solitary behavior is often driven by _____

Diet

Why are carnivores often solitary?

They need to make up the calories spent hunting with a large meal that they cannot share with a group

What is the scientific name of a moose?

Alces alces

Why are moose solitary?

They have to spend most of their time eating to support their size

Why are solitary animals so aggressive?

They have no one else to protect them from attackers