Animal cooperation is a strategic social interaction where individuals of the same species engage in mutually beneficial behaviors. This includes mutualism, where all benefit directly, and altruism, where individuals help others at a personal cost. Examples like cooperative hunting in lions and allonursing in lion prides illustrate these behaviors, which are crucial for survival and reproductive success in animal societies.
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Animals engage in behaviors that are beneficial to all involved, as an alternative to competition
Types of Cooperation
Mutualism and altruism are two types of cooperation in the animal kingdom
Inclusive Fitness Theory
Altruistic behaviors can be explained by the inclusive fitness theory, where helping relatives indirectly promotes an individual's own genetic legacy
Cooperative behaviors can improve the fitness of individuals and enhance the survival prospects of the group
Animals collaborate in hunting to tackle prey that would be too large or dangerous to handle individually
Non-parental group members assist in the care and protection of offspring
Animals engage in collective vigilance and coordinated responses to intruders to maintain the integrity of their group's home range and resources
Lion prides cooperate in hunting, territory defense, and cub-rearing
Female lions nurse each other's young, a behavior known as allonursing
Male lions form coalitions to defend the pride from rival males, reducing the risk of infanticide and increasing the survival rate of their offspring
The Agelena consociata, a social spider species, exhibits cooperative behaviors such as communal web building and collective hunting in the rainforests of Africa
The Agelena consociata demonstrates that cooperation can be a successful survival strategy even in highly competitive environments
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Cooperative behaviors among animals can increase ______ fitness and the survival chances of the ______.
individual
group
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Mutualism benefits
All participants gain direct advantages, enhancing efficiency in tasks like foraging or defense.
02
Altruism cost
Individual incurs a personal cost, possibly reducing own survival or reproductive success.
