AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -territory, in ecology, any area defended by an organism or a group of similar organisms for such purposes as mating, nesting, roosting, or feeding. Most vertebrates and some invertebrates, such as arthropods, including insects, exhibit territorial behaviour.

Detailed explanation-2: -In ethology, territory is the sociographical area that an animal consistently defends against conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against animals of other species) using agonistic behaviors or (less commonly) real physical aggression.

Detailed explanation-3: -Wolf packs maintain territories in which they hunt and live. These areas are aggressively defended from all non-pack members. The male cougar has a large territory that may overlap the territories of several females but is defended against other males.

Detailed explanation-4: -Brower (1976), differentiates territories into four types, namely: personal territory, community territory, community territory, and free territory.

Detailed explanation-5: -Many animals are territorial as adults. This strategy often makes evolutionary sense since animals can defend clumped resources more efficiently if they stake out a space of their own.