Behavioral Ecology

  1. Social Behavior and Group Living
    1. Costs and Benefits of Sociality
      1. Benefits of Group Living
        1. Foraging Advantages
          1. Predator Detection
            1. Cooperative Defense
              1. Information Transfer
                1. Thermoregulation
                  1. Reduced Parasitism
                  2. Costs of Group Living
                    1. Resource Competition
                      1. Disease Transmission
                        1. Increased Conspicuousness
                          1. Interference
                            1. Aggression
                            2. Optimal Group Size
                              1. Diminishing Returns
                                1. Individual vs. Group Optima
                                  1. Environmental Variation
                                2. Social Organization
                                  1. Dominance Hierarchies
                                    1. Linear Hierarchies
                                      1. Despotic vs. Egalitarian
                                        1. Hierarchy Formation
                                          1. Rank Benefits and Costs
                                          2. Social Roles and Castes
                                            1. Age-Based Roles
                                              1. Morphological Castes
                                                1. Behavioral Specialization
                                                  1. Role Flexibility
                                                  2. Group Coordination
                                                    1. Leadership
                                                      1. Collective Decision Making
                                                        1. Consensus Building
                                                          1. Information Pooling
                                                        2. Cooperation and Altruism
                                                          1. Kin Selection Theory
                                                            1. Hamilton's Rule
                                                              1. Inclusive Fitness
                                                                1. Coefficient of Relatedness
                                                                  1. Kin Recognition Mechanisms
                                                                  2. Reciprocal Altruism
                                                                    1. Direct Reciprocity
                                                                      1. Conditions for Evolution
                                                                        1. Cheater Detection
                                                                          1. Punishment Mechanisms
                                                                          2. Indirect Reciprocity
                                                                            1. Reputation Effects
                                                                              1. Image Scoring
                                                                                1. Third-Party Interactions
                                                                                2. Group Selection
                                                                                  1. Multi-Level Selection
                                                                                    1. Between-Group Competition
                                                                                      1. Group Benefit Traits
                                                                                    2. Eusociality
                                                                                      1. Defining Characteristics
                                                                                        1. Reproductive Division of Labor
                                                                                          1. Overlapping Generations
                                                                                            1. Cooperative Brood Care
                                                                                              1. Sterile Castes
                                                                                              2. Evolution of Eusociality
                                                                                                1. Haplodiploidy Hypothesis
                                                                                                  1. Monogamy Hypothesis
                                                                                                    1. Fortress Defense
                                                                                                      1. Life History Factors
                                                                                                      2. Social Insect Societies
                                                                                                        1. Colony Organization
                                                                                                          1. Caste Determination
                                                                                                            1. Communication Systems
                                                                                                              1. Collective Intelligence

                                                                                                          Previous

                                                                                                          7. Parental Care and Family Dynamics

                                                                                                          Go to top

                                                                                                          Next

                                                                                                          9. Communication and Information Transfer