However, while such conservation holds for genes involved in basic cellular functions and in development, whether it was also true for genes controlling
complex social behaviors like aggression was far from clear.
They studied genes associated with vasopressin, a neuropeptide that has been strongly implicated in the development and evolution
of complex social behavior in mammals.
He was inspired by Dian Fossey, who dissipated the myth of the brutish gorilla in the 1970s by observing tender,
complex social behavior while living among them.
Science has learned a great deal
about complex social behavior by studying nonhuman mammals and primates, but parrots might have something to teach too.
Because resolving rivalry problems requires managing the dogs»
somewhat complex social behaviors, it's often necessary for owners to obtain assistance from a professional animal behaviorist (see our handout: «When the Behavior Helpline Can't Help»).
So perhaps it should come as no surprise that the marine mammals, «with
their complex social behavior, are capable of engaging in equally as sophisticated mixed - species interactions,» he adds.
Biologists have long marveled over
the complex social behaviors seen among insects such as bees and ants, where different groups of individuals specialize in different tasks.
But fire ant researchers at the University of Georgia say they've characterized a gene that may single - handedly determine
a complex social behavior: whether a colony will have one or many queens.
In August 2010, Wilson, Nowak, and Tarnita published a very strongly worded Nature paper arguing that one didn't need to invoke inclusive fitness to explain the evolution of
complex social behaviors and that inclusive fitness wasn't helpful in explaining these traits.
This research, by contrast, suggests that rapid evolution of
a complex social behavior like pair bonding can occur by changing the expression of just one gene, he says.
This microcosm of monkey society has shed light onto questions as diverse as how they think, choose friends, choose mates, and the genetic underpinnings of
their complex social behaviors.
Endophenotypes of ASD at the neural systems level may offer insight into the pathophysiology and psychopathology of ASD by indicating components of
complex social behaviors that lie closer to specific genetic factors that confer ASD risk.
Within the safety of his family circle, he'll have his first experiences and get to know
the complex social behavior of his species.
Larry Young, a professor of psychiatry at Emory University who studies the neurological basis of
complex social behaviors, thinks human evolution has harnessed an ancient neural circuit that originally evolved to strengthen the mother - infant bond during breastfeeding, and now uses this brain circuitry to strengthen the bond between couples as well.
The established social bond —
a complex social behavior — is characterized by affiliative behaviors, copulation, and the selective preference toward the partner over a stranger (partner preference)(Gubernick, 1994).