And in addition to this what mechanisms reduce violent encounters?
This is for my ap bio free response essay, i understand that the reasoning for this aggressive behavior is to try and gain access to a resource, such as food or mates. But i don't believe this explains WHY. I have looked through my text book multiple times and can not find the second part to the question: what mechanisms reduce violent encounters?
Thanks in advance!
This is for my ap bio free response essay, i understand that the reasoning for this aggressive behavior is to try and gain access to a resource, such as food or mates. But i don't believe this explains WHY. I have looked through my text book multiple times and can not find the second part to the question: what mechanisms reduce violent encounters?
Thanks in advance!
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Behavioral displays communicate species identity, readiness to fight or to mate and even to play. “Agonism” refers to any display behavior arising in competitive contexts.
Agonistic displays include an array of stereotypic behaviors to display prowess with minimal risk of actual, damaging conflict unless the combatants are well matched. The bull elk rutting activity of locking horns determines which is male is dominant, it is a sorting process for access to females but it is preceded with a period of display so the challenger can analyze the risk.
To be dominant, a bull must be big, usually an older bull in his prime. A bull's antlers tell much of his story and bulls in their prime have the largest antlers that they show off with a relatively stereotyped display. Other, younger bulls and cows can, in part, measure the physical worth, and to a certain extent, the behavioral worth, of a bull by looking at the size of the antlers and how he displays them. Smaller antlered bulls can be more pugnacious and aggressive, so locking horns is the >final< determining factor in establishing herd bull status if the challenger takes the risk. The rutting activity determines which of them is dominant, or the best physically and behaviorally.
Rutting agonistic behavior between males
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/vecas…
Sharks that feel threatened will assume a threat or agonistic posture and swimming pattern to warn off others.
http://www.elasmo-research.org/education…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_threa…
Animals that are injured often do not survive so there is a strong selective factor favoring those species that develop ritual displays and the ability to accurately interpret them. These are seen in courtship rituals between the genders as well as in rutting displays in the male gender. Even young birds have ritual begging postures to signal they need food and to help their parents in feeding them.
Agonistic displays include an array of stereotypic behaviors to display prowess with minimal risk of actual, damaging conflict unless the combatants are well matched. The bull elk rutting activity of locking horns determines which is male is dominant, it is a sorting process for access to females but it is preceded with a period of display so the challenger can analyze the risk.
To be dominant, a bull must be big, usually an older bull in his prime. A bull's antlers tell much of his story and bulls in their prime have the largest antlers that they show off with a relatively stereotyped display. Other, younger bulls and cows can, in part, measure the physical worth, and to a certain extent, the behavioral worth, of a bull by looking at the size of the antlers and how he displays them. Smaller antlered bulls can be more pugnacious and aggressive, so locking horns is the >final< determining factor in establishing herd bull status if the challenger takes the risk. The rutting activity determines which of them is dominant, or the best physically and behaviorally.
Rutting agonistic behavior between males
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/vecas…
Sharks that feel threatened will assume a threat or agonistic posture and swimming pattern to warn off others.
http://www.elasmo-research.org/education…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_threa…
Animals that are injured often do not survive so there is a strong selective factor favoring those species that develop ritual displays and the ability to accurately interpret them. These are seen in courtship rituals between the genders as well as in rutting displays in the male gender. Even young birds have ritual begging postures to signal they need food and to help their parents in feeding them.