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In the zoological field of ethology, a dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social groups interact, creating a ranking system. A dominant higher-ranking individual is sometimes called an alpha, and a submissive lower-ranking individual is called a ...
The American pika (Ochotona princeps) is known to maintain strict territorial boundaries, and dominance between individuals is enforced through a dominant pika invading another pika's territory, forcing the latter out. The general hierarchy of dominance has been observed (higher to lower in dominance) from male to female and adult to juvenile.
Taxa are hierarchical groups of organisms, and their ranks describes their position in this hierarchy. High-ranking taxa (e.g. those considered to be domains or kingdoms, for instance) include more sub-taxa than low-ranking taxa (e.g. those considered genera, species or subspecies).
The hierarchy of biological classification's eight major taxonomic ranks. A domain contains one or more kingdoms. Intermediate minor rankings are not shown. In biology, a kingdom is the second highest taxonomic rank, just below domain. Kingdoms are divided into smaller groups called phyla (singular phylum).
Species can be placed in a ranked hierarchy, starting with either domains or kingdoms. Domains are divided into kingdoms . Kingdoms are divided into phyla (singular: phylum ) — for animals ; the term division , used for plants and fungi , is equivalent to the rank of phylum (and the current International Code of Botanical Nomenclature allows ...
Visual communication is a common dominance signal among animals. They are an effective modality as they come at a low cost to the animal and minimize risk. The Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) for example, express bright orange splotches during territorial conflict to warn competitors that they are poisonous, and thus assert their dominance over a territory.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to zoology: . Zoology – study of animals.Zoology, or "animal biology", is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the identification, structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems.
A rank abundance curve or Whittaker plot is a chart used by ecologists to display relative species abundance, a component of biodiversity. It can also be used to visualize species richness and species evenness. It overcomes the shortcomings of biodiversity indices that cannot display the relative role different variables played in their ...