Chapter6PrimateBehavior-CSU,Chico.pptVIP

Primate Behaviors Two Paradigms of Study Socioecology Sociobiology Sociobiology Criticisms Important Primate Behaviors Dominance Communication Aggression Affiliative Behaviors Reproduction and Reproductive Strategies Mothers and Infants Nonhuman Primate Cultural Behavior Primate Cognitive Abilities I. Two Primate Study Paradigms A. Socioecology focuses on the relationship between social behavior and the natural environment. Favors selection for the individual’s daily survival. B. Sociobiology focuses on the genetic predisposition to behaviors and those behaviors’ enhancement of reproductive success. One of the underlying assumptions is that various components of ecological systems evolved together. To understand how one component works, it is necessary to determine the species relationships with numerous environmental factors. I A. Socioecology Primatologists consider the following environmental factors: Quality and quantity of different foods Distribution of food resources, water, predators and sleeping sites Activity patterns (diurnal, nocturnal) Relationship with other species Impact of human activities I A. Socioecology, cont. Environmental factors such as resource availability and predation have a strong influence on group size and structure. Multimale and multifemale groups have an advantage when predation pressure is high. Adult males may join forces to chase and attack predators. Savannah baboons have been known to kill domestic dogs and to attack leopards and lions. Solitary foraging may be related to diet and distribution of resources or predator avoidance. I B. Sociobiology Natural selection acts on behavior in the same way it acts on physical characteristics. Behavior is a phenotypic expression and genes code for specific behaviors. This approach provides an opportunity to study the effects natural selection has had in shaping primate behavior. I C. Criticism of Sociobiology Lack of long-term data on the demography and social behavior of large g