Chapter 31, Problem 18A

Summary Introduction

To write:The situation where the top ranked individual get access to resources without conflict from other individuals in the group.

Introduction:Dominance hierarchy arises where the members of a social group interact. Members compete with each other to get the limited resources available and mating opportunities. Grading system is used between the members of the same gender based on repetitive approach where the dominant animal is challenged by an inferior animal.

Explanation of Solution

Benefit to higher grading members increases the approach to food for them easily than others.

During times of lack of water the dominant females approach more to water than the lower hierarchy females. The higher hierarchy males gets more prey caught by the group, in yellow baboons the males that have more power feed for more time than others. So they get more food intake than the subordinate one.

Conclusion

The higher hierarchy members eat first and more quickly that decrease their risk of dying by an attack of predators.

The survival of higher hierarchy individual increases as ithas more chance of getting nutrition and lesser chance of being attacked by any predator.