Dominance hierarchy: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 09:01, 21 May 2025

Revision as of 17:56, 22 May 2025

Line 3:

{{Redirect|Alpha male|the slang terms for men|Alpha and beta male|dominance hierarchies in humans|Dual strategies theory|other uses|Alpha male (disambiguation)}}

{{good article}}

[[File:Mandrillus sphinx (alpha male).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|A high-ranking male [[mandrill]] advertises his status with bright facial coloration.<ref name="LeighSetchell2008">{{cite journal |last1=Leigh |first1=Steven R. |last2=Setchell |first2|last3=Charpentier |first3=Marie |last4=Knapp |first4=Leslie A. |last5=Wickings |first5=E. Jean |display-authors=3 |title=Canine tooth size and fitness in male mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) |journal=Journal of Human Evolution |volume=55 |issue=1 |year=2008 |pages=75–85 |doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2008.01.001 |pmid=18472142 |bibcode=2008JHumE..55...75L |url=https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1530435 }}</ref>]]

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 animal|social groups]] interact, creating a ranking system. Different types of interactions can result in dominance depending on the species, including [[Ritualized aggression|ritualized displays of aggression]] or direct physical violence.<ref>{{Cite journal |lastlast1=Tibbetts |firstfirst1=Elizabeth A. |last2=Pardo-Sanchez |first2=Juanita |last3=Weise |first3=Chloe |date=2022-02-28 |title=The establishment and maintenance of dominance hierarchies |url=https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2020.0450 |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |language=en |volume=377 |issue=1845 |doi=10.1098/rstb.2020.0450 |issn=0962-8436 |pmc=8743888 |pmid=35000449}}</ref> In social living groups, members are likely to compete for access to limited resources and [[mating]] opportunities. Rather than fighting each time they meet, individuals of the same sex establish a relative rank, with higher-ranking individuals often gaining more access to resources and mates. Based on repetitive interactions, a social order is created that is subject to change each time a dominant animal is challenged by a subordinate one.

== Definitions ==

Line 123:

Female-biased dominance occurs rarely in mammals. It occurs when all adult males exhibit submissive behavior to adult females in social settings. These social settings are usually related to feeding, grooming, and sleeping site priority. It is observed consistently in [[hyena]]s, [[lemur]]s and the [[bonobo]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Digby |first1=L. I. |author2=Kahlenberg, S. M. |s2cid=19508316 |year=2002 |title=Female dominance in blue-eyed black lemurs |journal=Primates |volume=43 |issue=3 |pages=191–199 |doi=10.1007/BF02629647 |pmid=12145400}}</ref> The [[ring-tailed lemur]] is observed to be the most prominent model of female dominance.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sauther |first=Michelle L. |chapter=Resource Competition in Wild Populations of Ringtailed Lemurs (Lemur Catta): Implications for Female Dominance |date=1993 |title=Lemur Social Systems and Their Ecological Basis |pages=135–152 |publisher=Springer |doi=10.1007/978-1-4899-2412-4_10 |isbn=978-1-4899-2414-8 }}</ref>

There are three basic proposals for the evolution of female dominance:<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Young |first1=Andrew L. |last2=Richard |first2=Alison F. |last3=Aiello |first3=Leslie C. |year=1990 |title=Female Dominance and Maternal Investment in Strepsirhine Primates |journal=The American Naturalist |volume=135 |issue=4 |pages=473–488 |doi=10.1086/285057|bibcode=1990ANat..135..473Y |s2cid=85004340 }}</ref>

# The Energy Conservation Hypothesis: males subordinate to females to conserve energy for intense male-male competition experienced during very short breeding seasons

Line 149:

In some wasp species such as [[Liostenogaster flavolineata]] there are many possible queens that inhabit a nest, but only one can be queen at a time. When a queen dies the next queen is selected by an age-based dominance hierarchy. This is also true in the species ''[[Polistes instabilis]]'', where the next queen is selected based on age rather than size. ''[[Polistes exclamans]]'' also exhibits this type of hierarchy.<ref name="Gerontocracy">{{Cite journal |author=Strassmann & Meyer |s2cid=54398769 |year=1983 |title=Gerontocracy in the social wasp, ''Polistes exclamans'' |journal=[[Animal Behaviour (journal)|Animal Behaviour]] |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=431–438 |doi=10.1016/S0003-3472(83)80063-3}}</ref> Within the dominance hierarchies of the ''[[Polistes versicolor]]'', however, the dominant-subordinate context in the yellow paper wasps is directly related to the exchange of food. Future foundresses within the nest compete over the shared resources of nourishment, such as protein. Unequal nourishment is often what leads to the size differences that result in dominant-subordinate position rankings. Therefore, if during the winter aggregate, the female is able to obtain greater access to food, the female could thus reach a dominant position.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=González |first1=J. A. |last2=Nascimento |first2=F. S. |last3=Gayubo |first3=S. F. |year=2002 |title=Observations on the Winter Aggregates of Two Polistine Paper Wasps (Hymenoptera Vespidae Polistinae) |journal=Tropical Zoology |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=1–4 |doi=10.1080/03946975.2002.10531162 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2002TrZoo..15....1G }}</ref>

In some species, especially in ants, more than one queen can be found in the same colony, a condition called [[Polygyny in animals|polygyny]]. In this case, another advantage of maintaining a hierarchy is to prolong the colony lifespan. The top ranked individuals may die or lose fertility and "extra queens" may benefit from starting a colony in the same site or nest. This advantage is critical in some ecological contexts, such as in situations where nesting sites are limited or dispersal of individuals is risky due to high rates of predation. This polygynous behavior has also been observed in some eusocial bees such as ''[[Schwarziana quadripunctata]]''. In this species, multiple queens of varying sizes are present. The larger, [[physogastric]], queens typically control the nest, though a "dwarf" queen will take its place in the case of a premature death.<ref name="nogueira09">{{cite journal |last1=Nogueira-Ferreira |first1=F. H. |last2=Silva-Matos |first2=E. V. |last3=Zucchi |first3=R. |year=2009 |title=Interaction and Behavior of Virgin and Physogastric Queens in Three Meliponini Species (Hymenoptera, Apidae) |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26319081 |journal=Genetics and Molecular Research |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=703–708 |doi=10.4238/vol8-2kerr008 |doi-broken-date=22 May 2025 |pmid=19554769 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Variations ==