BI102 General Biology

Spring 2008

Dr. Brian K. Penney

Goulet 2320

603 641-7149

bpenney@anselm.edu

Brian K. Penney 's web page

---

1. Social behavior

   Social behavior is interaction between two or more individuals of the same species, such as aggression, courtship and cooperation. All social behavior requires some form of communication.

   • Sociobiology places social behavior in an evolutionary context, illustrating how particular behaviors are adaptive and how they could have arisen by natural selection.

   ---

2. Mating behavior

   Mating behavior is influenced by selection to ensure the perpetuation of one's genes and is influenced by female choice and certainty of paternity

   • ranges from monogamous to polygamous to promiscuous

   • often elaborate courtship rituals signal the species, sex and intentions of the participants and may also indicate the fitness of potential mates

   ---

3. Dominance hierarchies

   • Dominance hierarchies lessen competition within populations

   • Conflicts often resolved via agonistic behavior: ritualistic, non-lethal competition. Reconciliatory behaviors mend relationships after conflict.

   • may allow greater fitness not only for dominant individuals, but for the group as a whole as members spend proportionally less time competing.

   ---

4. Territorial behavior parcels space and resources when these are in short (but not scarce) supply.

   • Territories are marked through chemical, visual or auditory signals, but must be constantly updated.

   • territory size is based on the tradeoff of energy expended versus resources gained (needed and abundance), organism/group size

   ---

5. Complex social organizations depend on elaborate communication among individuals to coordinate action.

   • In truly social and eusocial species, actions of altruism are explained by kin selection or inclusive fitness where sacrifice for another group member increases a gene's frequency in a population.

   • signals often use multiple modalities, with the specific type determined by the organisms' construction and environment

Copyright 2007-2008, Brian K. Penney

How to succeed in this course