dominance hierarchy


dom·i·nance hi·er·ar·chy

a social situation in which one organism dominates all below it, the next all below it, and so on down to the organism dominated by all; for example, the pecking order in apes, seals, barnyard hens, and other species.

dominance hierarchy

a phenomenon in animal societies where some members are subordinate to others, giving a reproductive advantage to the less subordinate members. see PECKING ORDER.