首页
登录
职称英语
SOCIALITY IN ANIMALS (1) Social
SOCIALITY IN ANIMALS (1) Social
游客
2024-01-02
25
管理
问题
SOCIALITY IN ANIMALS
(1) Social insects represent the high point of invertebrate evolution. Some species live in communities of millions, coordinating their building and foraging, their reproduction, and their offspring care. Yet sociality is found in only a few species of insects, and is rare among vertebrates as well: wildebeest (large antelope) and lions are the exception rather than the rule. Nearly all fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are solitary, except when courting and mating. Birds and mammals usually rear their young, but year-round family groups are almost unknown, though they are intensely studied where they do exist. The same is true for insects.
(2) We know, or think we know, that social groups are good. [A] Wolves are better predators when they hunt in packs, and pigeons escape from falcons far more often when feeding in flocks. [B] Group building projects—the dams beavers build to block a body of water provide them with relative safety from predators and the lodges they build for shelter, for instance—can provide a high level of protection and comfort. [C] Why, then, are social species so very rare? [D]
In fact, living socially presents inevitable problems that transcend habitat needs so that only when these costs are offset by corresponding benefits is group living a plus.
(3) The most obvious cost is competition. All the members of a species share the same habitat; when they live together, they are trying to eat the same food and occupy the same nesting sites. In general, there is far less competition away from a group, and selection should favor any individual who (all things being equal) sets off on its own, leaving the members of its group behind to compete among themselves for limited resources. Another difficulty is that concentrations of individuals facilitate disease and parasite transmission. On the whole, social animals carry more parasites and species-specific diseases than do solitary animals. Parasites and diseases diminish the strength and limit the growth of animals, and among highly social creatures, epidemics can devastate whole populations. Distemper (a viral disease) has been known to wipe out entire colonies of seals, for instance. So the penalty of social life is potentially huge.
(4) But in some instances, the payoffs can be even greater. Two have already been mentioned: cooperative hunting and defensive groups. Social hunting is likely to evolve where prey is too large to be taken by individuals operating alone. To capture wildebeest some members of a group of lions follow their prey and herd them toward others lying in ambush. In other species, individuals forage or hunt simultaneously and share the food. Vampire bats that have had a bad day, for instance, are fed by more successful members of the community, but they are expected to return the favor in the future. Cooperation can even involve sharing information about the location of food. Some colonial birds, such as bank swallows, use the departure direction of a successful forager (food hunter) to locate concentrations of prey. Information transfer can be unintentional though some species make use of special assembly calls or behavior.
(5) Cooperation in group defense, such as we see in circles of musk oxen or elephants, is quite rare among vertebrates but is prevalent among the social insects. The strategy of employing many eyes to watch for danger, on the other hand, is widespread in birds and mammals. A herd of gazelles (small antelope) is far more likely to spot a lurking lion or a concealed cheetah than is a lone individual, and at a greater distance. In fact, a group enters into a kind of time-sharing arrangement in which individual antelopes
alternate
biting off a mouthful of grass with a period of erect and watchful chewing. A larger group can afford more bites per individual per minute, there being more eyes to scan for danger. For a small antelope living in a forest where visibility is limited, however, remaining hidden is probably a better bet than assembling into noisy herds.
(6) Among the millions of species of insects, only a few thousand are social. Those rarities are generally confined to termites and Hymenoptera. All termites are social: their diet (cellulose) requires that each generation feeds a special kind of bacteria or fungi to the next generation to aid in its digestion. Of the numerous hymenopterans, some are social—including all ants and a few bees and wasps—but many are solitary. [br] The word "alternate" in the passage is closest in meaning to________.
选项
A、make a habit of
B、have conflicts over
C、show a preference for
D、take turns at
答案
D
解析
本题属于词汇题。根据该词定位到第5段第4句,这句提到了瞪羚alternate biting off…的行为是一种time-sharing arrangement,(分时段安排),并对此进行了解释:一些瞪羚咬下一口草后,会笔直站立并保持警惕地咀嚼,不难推测,这时另一些瞪羚就可以有机会低头吃草,循环往复。D项take-turns at“轮流”与文章语境相符。A项make a habit of“习惯做……”、B项have conflicts over“与……有冲突”和C项show a preference for“表现出对……的偏好”均与time-sharing arrangement,的语境不一致,故排除。
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3327448.html
相关试题推荐
ENDANGEREDSPECIESAlthoughwecannotdoanythingabouttheplantsandanimalst
ENDANGEREDSPECIESAlthoughwecannotdoanythingabouttheplantsandanimalst
ENDANGEREDSPECIESAlthoughwecannotdoanythingabouttheplantsandanimalst
ENDANGEREDSPECIESAlthoughwecannotdoanythingabouttheplantsandanimalst
ENDANGEREDSPECIESAlthoughwecannotdoanythingabouttheplantsandanimalst
Bothsocialfactorsandthedevelopmentof【L31】________havebeenimpo
Bothsocialfactorsandthedevelopmentof【L31】________havebeenimpo
Bothsocialfactorsandthedevelopmentof【L31】________havebeenimpo
Bothsocialfactorsandthedevelopmentof【L31】________havebeenimpo
Bothsocialfactorsandthedevelopmentof【L31】________havebeenimpo
随机试题
社会主义的根本原则是()A.坚持公有制为主体,实现共同富裕 B.坚持改革开放
下列属于经济性国际组织的是()A.非洲统一组织 B.北大西洋公约组织 C.石
某客户在某年6月20日购买2000元两年期凭证式国债,年利率为4.32%,在两年
下列哪项不属于下丘脑性闭经A.假孕性闭经 B.神经性畏食,消瘦后闭经 C.运
根据《企业集团财务公司管理办法》,企业集团成员单位包括母公司及其控股______
下列油浸站用(接地)变本体油箱或储油柜的缺陷描述中,属于严重缺陷的是?(A)漏油
量表法是指把绩效考核的指标和标准制作成量表,根据量表对考核对象的工作绩效进行考核
A.图(a) B.图(b) C.图(c) D.图(d)
施工单位签署的工程质量保修书,应( )向建设单位提交A、在竣工前 B、在竣工后
女,16岁。被侧塌的房屋压伤后腹痛伴呕吐1小时。查体:P140次/分,R26
最新回复
(
0
)