Territorial behavior in animals and ecosystems

Territorial Behavior

Desmond Morris does an excellent job of defining his topic and then constructing and creating logical divisions of analysis concerning the various types of territorial behavior. Before analyzing and evaluating the various types of territorial behavior, Morris defines territory as an owned space which is defended when an individual is attacked or threatened. According to Morris, individuals are rarely driven to physical fighting in defense of their territories, but they will fight if they are pushed to the limit. Examples of such defense mechanisms are the invading army encroaching on national territory (i.e., Osama bin Laden and Afghanistan); the gang moving into a rival district (i.e., the continuing turf wars between the Bloods and Crips); the trespasser climbing into an orchard; the burglar breaking into a house; the bully pushing to the front of a line; and the driver trying to steal a parking space. All of these intruders are liable to be met with resistance varying from the vigorous to the savagely violent.

According to Morris, there are three kinds of human territory: tribal, family, and personal. For example, individuals evolved as tribal animals, originally living in comparatively small, tight-knit groups, growing into agricultural super-tribes, and eventually ballooning into industrial nations with increasingly elaborate territorial defense systems. The family is essentially a breeding unit and the family territory is a breeding ground, a nest. Personal space, also known as elbow room, is a vital commodity for humans, and one that cannot be ignored without risking serious trouble.

The essential component to each of these territorial behaviors is the use and success of territorial signals as a system of dispute prevention and resolution. Examples of territorial signals include badges, banners, costumes, headquarters, and slogans. In terms of tribal territorialism, most individuals belong to a splinter or sub-group (i.e., the college fraternity, the local club, the political party, the protest group, the social clique, the specialist society, the sports association, the teenage gang, the union, etc.) which allows them to retain a sense of individuality while fostering a group identity. Territorial signals are also seen in family groups, i.e., the staking out of a small portion of beach and marking it with baskets, rugs, towels, etc. With respect to personal space, territorial signals are seen in the way individuals position themselves in airplanes, buses, cinemas, public restrooms, and trains, i.e., maintaining distance by sitting at one end a long row of empty chairs yet selecting a position about halfway between the other individuals.