Final answer:
True sociality in biological contexts consists of cooperative brood care, overlapping generations, and the division of labor, contributing to the overall success of a social system.
Step-by-step explanation:
True sociality in biological terms is defined by the presence of three characteristics within social systems:
- Cooperative brood care, where individuals care for offspring that are not their own.
- Overlapping generations, meaning that multiple generations live together and the older generation helps care for the younger generation.
- Division of labor, where different individuals have specialized roles, duties, or tasks within the social group.
This form of sociality is often seen in insect societies such as bees, ants, and termites, but can also apply to mammalian societies such as those of certain primates. In these systems, the cooperation amongst individuals contributes to the success and survival of the society as a whole, sometimes even at the cost of individual success. Examples of division of labor include worker bees caring for the queen bee's offspring, or in primate societies, where certain individuals may act as lookouts for predators while others gather food.