Social groupIn the social sciences, a social group is defined as two or more people who interact with one another, share similar characteristics, and collectively have a sense of unity. Regardless, social groups come in a myriad of sizes and varieties. For example, a society can be viewed as a large social group. The system of behaviors and psychological processes occurring within a social group or between social groups is known as group dynamics.
AnimalBiological kingdomAnimals are multicellular, eukaryoticorganisms belonging to the biologicalkingdomAnimalia (). Animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, have muscle cells, can reproduce sexually, and grow from a hollow sphere of cells, the blastula, during embryonic development. With few exceptions, animals are able to move. Animals form a clade, meaning that they arose from a single common ancestor.
VespidaeThe Vespidae are a large (nearly 5000 species), diverse, cosmopolitan family of wasps, including nearly all the eusocial wasps (such as Polistes fuscatus, Vespa orientalis, and Vespula germanica) and many solitary wasps. Each social wasp colony includes a queen and a number of female workers with varying degrees of sterility relative to the queen. In temperate social species, colonies usually last only one year, dying at the onset of winter.
WaspGroup of insectsA wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. The wasps do not constitute a clade, a complete natural group with a single ancestor, as bees and ants are deeply nested within the wasps, having evolved from wasp ancestors.Population (biology)In biology, a population of organisms is a group of individuals of the same species, defined by a discontinuity or disjunction from other groups of individuals in certain characteristics, such as living area, genetic attributes, demographic structure. Among biologists, the term definition varies, in some cases significantly, and sometimes those variations can be confusing.
Parental investmentParental investment, in evolutionary biology and evolutionary psychology, is any parental expenditure (e.g. time, energy, resources) that benefits offspring. Parental investment may be performed by both males and females (called biparental care), females alone (exclusive maternal care) or males alone (exclusive paternal care).
Natural selectionMechanism of evolution by differential reproductionMutation and selectionNatural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in the relative fitness endowed on them by their own particular complement of observable characteristics. It is a key law or mechanism of evolution which changes the heritable traits characteristic of a population or species over generations.Social capitalSocial capital is a concept used in sociology and economics to define networks of relationships which are productive towards advancing the goals of individuals and groups. It involves the effective functioning of social groups through interpersonal relationships, a shared sense of identity, a shared understanding, shared norms, shared values, trust, cooperation, and reciprocity.
LarvaA larva (; pl.: larvae) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. A larva's appearance is generally very different from the adult form (e.g.caterpillars and butterflies) including different unique structures and organs that do not occur in the adult form.
Evolutionary pressureEvolutionary pressure, selective pressure or selection pressure is exerted by factors that reduce or increase reproductive success in a portion of a population, driving natural selection. It is a quantitative description of the amount of change occurring in processes investigated by evolutionary biology, but the formal concept is often extended to other areas of research. In population genetics, selective pressure is usually expressed as a selection coefficient.
OffspringIn biology, offspring () are the young creation of living organisms, produced either by sexual or asexual reproduction. Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny. This can refer to a set of simultaneous offspring, such as the chicks hatched from one clutch of eggs, or to all offspring produced over time, as with the honeybee. Offspring can occur after mating, artificial insemination, or as a result of cloning.
SocietyConnected group of individualsClockwise from top left: A family in Savannakhet, Laos; a crowd shopping in Maharashtra, India; a military parade on a Spanish national holiday.A society is a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.
PredationBiological interactionSolitary predator: a polar bear feeds on a bearded seal it has killed.Social predators: meat ants cooperate to feed on a cicada far larger than themselves.Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.