ANT 301 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Social Grooming, Behavioral Ecology, Sexual Selection
Document Summary
Behavior- anything organisms do that involves action in response to internal or external stimuli; the response of an individual, group, or species to its environment. Such responses may or may not be deliberate and they aren"t necessarily the results of conscious decision making. Ecological- pertaining to the relationships between organisms and all aspects of their environment (temperature, predators, non-predators, vegetation, availability of food and water, types of food, disease organisms, parasites, etc. ) Social structure- the composition, size, and sex ratio of a group of animals; the social structure of a species is, in part, the result of natural selection in a specific habitat, and it guides individual interactions and social relationships. Matrilines- groups that consist of a female, her daughters, and their offspring; matrilineal groups are common in macaques. Life history traits- characteristics and developmental stages that influence reproductive rates; examples include: longevity, age at sexual maturity, and length of time between births.
