Intraspecific relationships

Nota:

• Intraspecific relationships are those that occur between individuals of the same species, in temporary or longer-lasting group associations. These relationships have a number of consequences in the lives of individuals. There are a number of pros and cons, but the fact that such associations exist means that the pros are very beneficial.

1. Cooperation or partnership

   Nota:

   • The pros, or benefits of intraspecific relationships, include: -> An increased ability to defend against predators or adverse environmental conditions. -> An increased ability to find mates and reproduce. -> An increased ability to forage and find food. -> An increased ability to divide labour.
   1. Gregarious

      Nota:

      • There are no parental or family ties in this type of grouping. They are usually temporary. They are produced by the accumulation of individuals in a certain place previously transported by wind or water (insect larvae or cyanobacteria), or by their own will, either following a stimulus such as light or food, or to fight for survival, defend themselves from predators and look for food, as in the case of schools of fish, flocks of birds or herds of mammals.
   2. Social

      Nota:

      • They occur in response to the division of labour in the population. The individuals that make up the population show morphological differences revealing the different functions they perform. These associations are typical of the well-known social insects. Individuals cannot survive outside the society they have created.
   3. Familiar

      Nota:

      • The individuals are related to each other. Families originate with the formation of one or more pairs which, when they procreate, have offspring. The maintenance of the family association is related to mating, feeding, defence and care of offspring.
   4. Colonial

      Nota:

      • The colonies are made up of individuals or zooids that are physically linked to each other and connected by a series of canals and appear to be a single individual. Colonies originate when individuals reproduce asexually, usually by budding, bipartition or fragmentation.
2. Competition

   Nota:

   • There are some disadvantages, notably competition for resources (water, nutrients, light, shade, etc.) and territory when there are too many individuals in the group.