Quetstion 4 - Practice 2

Question 4

Practice 2

Reading and Lecture

Now listen to a lecture related to the passage in step 1. As you listen, take notes on important information. Write down five keywords or key phrases that would be useful in explaining this information to someone else.

W: A baboon is one type of animal that uses a highly structured dominance hierarchy. Let’s take a closer look at just how baboons use dominance hierarchies within their social group.

First off, dominance hierarchies in the baboon species are used to keep the group organized and stable.

This is done through a ranking system. Each baboon in the group has a specific rank.

Those in lower ranks follow the leadership of those in higher ranks.

For example, baboons in a group follow the leadership of a dominant male.

This individual makes major group decisions like where to find food and the lower band members follow his lead.

This allows dominant individuals to make quick decisions about what’s best for the entire group, which could mean the difference between survival and death.

Dominance hierarchies also allow baboons to settle disputes over scarce resources.

This is important for baboons that live on the African savanna.

On the savanna, food is often scarce.

Therefore, a dominant individual exists who can manage aggression and determine how food is distributed.

However, baboons that live in the forest have a more relaxed dominance hierarchy because food is more available.

Conflicts over food are less likely to occur here, so the role of the dominant male in forest baboon groups is not as clearly defined as that of savanna baboon’s.