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Mutualism is an interaction between two or more species, where species derive a mutual benefit, for example an increased carrying capacity. Similar interactions within a species are known as co-operation. Mutualism may be classified in terms of the closeness of association, the closest being symbiosis, which is often confused with mutualism.
In higher organisms, an allergic response may be the cause of irritation. An allergen is defined distinctly from an irritant, however, as allergy requires a specific interaction with the immune system and is thus dependent on the (possibly unique) sensitivity of the organism involved while an irritant, classically, acts in a non-specific manner.
Social learning refers to learning that is facilitated by observation of, or interaction with, another animal or its products. [1] Social learning has been observed in a variety of animal taxa , [ 2 ] [ 3 ] such as insects , [ 4 ] fish , [ 5 ] birds , [ 6 ] reptiles , amphibians [ 7 ] and mammals (including primates [ 8 ] ).
Therefore, social behavior arises as a result of an interaction between the two—the organism and its environment. This means that, in regards to humans, social behavior can be determined by both the individual characteristics of the person, and the situation they are in. [ 4 ]
Social bonding is observed in many interspecies interactions such as those between humans and their household pets, humans and primates, and many other animals in the wild. [ 2 ] [ 14 ] [ 15 ] [ 20 ] Since social bonding involves communication and interactions between different species, it can lead to the development of interspecies friendships.
Synchronous behavior is also threatened when animals in a mixed-sex herd have differing nutritional or physical necessities. This causes group instability which often splits the herd up into two separate groups; generally all male and all female, to recreate the mimetic behavior in a smaller, same-sex group that has more similar needs to the individual. [5]
It is extremely difficult to distinguish between solitary living and group living. Distinctions between the two are relatively artificial. [6] This is because many species of animals who spend a majority of their life alone, at some point in their life, will join a group or engage in social behavior. [7]
For example, in paper wasp species, Agelaia pallipes, social facilitation is used to recruitment to food resources. By using chemical communication, A. pallipes pool the independent search efforts to locate and defend food sources from other organisms. [19] Social facilitation is sometimes used to develop successful social scavenging strategies.