Assessment of fighting ability in animal contests

Animal Behaviour

Volumn 77, Issue 5, 2009, Pages 991-1004

  Arnott, Gareth ^a   Elwood, Robert W ^a  

^a QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BELFAST   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

assessment; contest; fighting ability; game theory; resource holding potential

Indexed keywords

ANIMAL; CONTEST COMPETITION; ECOLOGICAL MODELING; FIGHTING; GAME THEORY; SELECTION;

ANIMALIA;

EID: 64549131233     PISSN: 00033472     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.02.010     Document Type: Review

References (126)

1. Adams E.S., and Caldwell R.L. Deceptive communication in asymmetric fights of the stomatopod crustacean Gonodactylus bredini. Animal Behaviour 39 (1990) 706-716
2. Alcock J., and Bailey W.J. Success in territorial defence by male tarantula hawk wasps Hemipepsis ustulata: the role of residency. Ecological Entomology 22 (1997) 377-383
3. Archer J. The Behavioural Biology of Aggression (1988), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
4. Arnott G., and Elwood R.W. Fighting for shells: how private information about resource value changes hermit crab pre-fight displays and escalated fight behaviour. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 274 (2007) 3011-3017
5. Arnott G., and Elwood R.W. Information gathering and decision making about resource value in animal contests. Animal Behaviour 76 (2008) 529-542
6. Austad S.N. A game theoretical interpretation of male combat in the bowl and doily spider (Frontinella pyramitela). Animal Behaviour 31 (1983) 59-73
7. Barki A., Harpaz S., and Karplus I. Contradictory asymmetries in body and weapon size, and assessment in fighting male prawns, Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Aggressive Behavior 23 (1997) 81-91
8. Basolo A.L. Female preference for male sword length in the green swordtail, Xiphophorus helleri (Pisces: Poeciliidae). Animal Behaviour 40 (1990) 332-338
9. Benson K.E., and Basolo A.L. Male-male competition and the sword in male swordtails, Xiphophorus helleri. Animal Behaviour 71 (2006) 129-134
10. Bergman D.A., Kozlowski C.P., McIntyre J.C., Huber R., Daws A.G., and Moore P.A. Temporal dynamics and communication of winner-effects in the crayfish, Orconectes rusticus. Behaviour 140 (2003) 805-825
11. Bridge A.P., Elwood R.W., and Dick J.T.A. Imperfect assessment and limited information preclude optimal strategies in male-male fights in the orb-weaving spider Metellina mengei. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 267 (2000) 273-279
12. Briffa M. Decisions during fights in the house cricket, Acheta domesticus: mutual or self assessment of energy, weapons and size?. Animal Behaviour 75 (2008) 1053-1062
13. Briffa M., and Elwood R.W. Cumulative or sequential assessment during hermit crab shell fights: effects of oxygen on decision rules. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 267 (2000) 2445-2452
14. Briffa M., and Elwood R.W. The power of shell rapping influences rates of eviction in hermit crabs. Behavioral Ecology 11 (2000) 288-293
15. Briffa M., and Elwood R.W. Analysis of the finescale timing of repeated signals: does shell rapping in hermit crabs signal stamina?. Animal Behaviour 59 (2000) 159-165
16. Briffa M., and Elwood R.W. Decision rules, energy metabolism and vigor of hermit crab fights. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 268 (2001) 1841-1848
17. Briffa M., and Elwood R.W. Motivational change during shell fights in the hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus. Animal Behaviour 62 (2001) 505-510
18. Briffa M., and Elwood R.W. Power of shell-rapping signals influences physiological costs and subsequent decisions during hermit crab fights. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 269 (2002) 2331-2336
19. Briffa M., and Elwood R.W. Use of energy reserves in fighting hermit crabs. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 271 (2004) 373-379
20. Briffa M., and Elwood R.W. Rapid change in energy status in fighting animals: causes and effects of strategic decisions. Animal Behaviour 70 (2005) 119-124
21. Briffa M., Elwood R.W., and Dick J.T.A. Analysis of repeated signals during shell fights in the hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 265 (1998) 1467-1474
22. Briffa M., Elwood R.W., and Russ J.M. Change in the power of rapping during shell fights between hermit crabs: does magnitude contribute to repeated signals?. Behavioral Ecology 14 (2003) 60-65
23. Clutton-Brock T.H., and Albon S.D. The roaring of red deer and the evolution of honest advertisement. Behaviour 69 (1979) 145-169
24. Clutton-Brock T.H., Albon S.D., Gibson R.M., and Guinness F.E. The logical stag: adaptive aspects of fighting in red deer (Cervus elaphus L). Animal Behaviour 27 (1979) 211-225
25. Cordero A. Forced copulations and female contact guarding at a high male density in a calopterygid damselfly. Journal of Insect Behavior 12 (1999) 27-37
26. Culshaw A.D., and Broom D.M. The imminence of behavioural change and startle responses of chicks. Behaviour 73 (1980) 64-76
27. Dale S., and Slagsvold T. Female contests for nest sites and mates in the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca. Ethology 99 (1995) 209-222
28. Davies N.B., and Halliday T.R. Deep croaks and fighting assessment in toads Bufo bufo. Nature 274 (1978) 683-685
29. delBarco-Trillo J., McPhee M.E., and Johnston R.E. Nonagonistic familiarity decreases aggression in male Turkish hamsters, Mesocricetus brandti. Animal Behaviour 77 (2009) 389-393
30. Dick J.T.A., and Elwood R.W. Symmetrical assessment of female quality by male Gammarus pulex (amphipoda) during struggles over precopula females. Animal Behaviour 40 (1990) 877-883
31. Dixon K.A., and Cade W.H. Some factors influencing male-male aggression in the field cricket Gryllus integer (time of day, age, weight and sexual maturity). Animal Behaviour 34 (1986) 340-346
32. Dowds B.M., and Elwood R.W. Shell wars 2: the influence of relative size on decisions made during hermit crab shell fights. Animal Behaviour 33 (1985) 649-656
33. Draud M., and Lynch P.A.E. Asymmetric contests for breeding sites between monogamous pairs of convict cichlids (Archocentrus nigrofasciatum, Cichlidae): pair experience pays. Behaviour 139 (2002) 861-873
34. Dugatkin L.A., and Biederman L. Balancing asymmetries in resource holding power and resource value in the pumpkinseed sunfish. Animal Behaviour 42 (1991) 691-692
35. Dugatkin L.A., and Ohlsen S.R. Contrasting asymmetries in value expectation and resource holding power: effects on attack behaviour and dominance in the pumpkinseed sunfish, Lepomis gibbosus. Animal Behaviour 39 (1990) 802-804
36. Earley R.L., Tinsley M., and Dugatkin L.A. To see or not to see: does previewing a future opponent affect the contest behavior of green swordtail males (Xiphophorus helleri)?. Naturwissenschaften 90 (2003) 226-230
37. Elias D.O., Kasumovic M.M., Punzalan D., Andrade M.C.B., and Mason A.C. Assessment during aggressive contests between male jumping spiders. Animal Behaviour 76 (2008) 901-910
38. Elwood R.W., Wood K.E., Gallagher M.B., and Dick J.T.A. Probing motivational state during agonistic encounters in animals. Nature 393 (1998) 66-68
39. Elwood R.W., Pothanikat R.M.E., and Briffa M. Honest and dishonest displays, motivational state and subsequent decisions in hermit crab shell fights. Animal Behaviour 72 (2006) 853-859
40. Englund G., and Olsson T.I. Fighting and assessment in the net-spinning caddis larva Arctopsyche ladogensis: a test of the sequential assessment game. Animal Behaviour 39 (1990) 55-62
41. Enquist M., and Leimar O. Evolution of fighting behavior: decision rules and assessment of relative strength. Journal of Theoretical Biology 102 (1983) 387-410
42. Enquist M., Leimar O., Ljungberg T., Mallner Y., and Segerdahl N. A test of the sequential assessment game: fighting in the cichlid fish Nannacara anomala. Animal Behaviour 40 (1990) 1-14
43. Faber D.B., and Baylis J.R. Effects of body size on agonistic encounters between male jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae). Animal Behaviour 45 (1993) 289-299
44. Fraser D. The behaviour of growing pigs during experimental social encounters. Journal of Agricultural Science 82 (1974) 147-163
45. Gammell M.P., and Hardy I.C.W. Contest duration: sizing up the opposition?. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 18 (2003) 491-493
46. Glass C.W., and Huntingford F.A. Initiation and resolution of fights between swimming crabs (Liocarcinus depurator). Ethology 77 (1988) 237-249
47. Goubault M., Batchelor T.P., Linforth R.S.T., Taylor A.J., and Hardy I.C.W. Volatile emission by contest losers revealed by real-time chemical analysis. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 273 (2006) 2853-2859
48. Goubault M., Batchelor T.P., Romani R., Linforth R.S.T., Fritzsche M., Francke W., and Hardy I.C.W. Volatile chemical release by bethylid wasps: identity, phylogeny, anatomy and behaviour. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 94 (2008) 837-852
49. Hack M.A. Assessment strategies in the contests of male crickets, Acheta domesticus L. Animal Behaviour 53 (1997) 733-747
50. Hack M.A. The energetic costs of fighting in the house cricket, Acheta domesticus L. Behavioral Ecology 8 (1997) 28-36
51. Hammerstein P., and Parker G.A. The asymmetric war of attrition. Journal of Theoretical Biology 96 (1982) 647-682
52. Hsu Y., and Wolf L.L. The winner and loser effect: integrating multiple experiences. Animal Behaviour 57 (1999) 903-910
53. Hsu Y., Lee S.P., Chen M.H., Yang S.Y., and Cheng K.C. Switching assessment strategy during a contest: fighting in killifish Kryptolebias marmoratus. Animal Behaviour 75 (2008) 1641-1649
54. Hughes M. Size assessment via a visual signal in snapping shrimp. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 38 (1996) 51-57
55. Hughes M. Deception with honest signals: signal residuals and signal function in snapping shrimp. Behavioral Ecology 11 (2000) 614-623
56. Huntingford F.A. Some ethical issues raised by studies of predation and aggression. Animal Behaviour 32 (1984) 210-215
57. Huyghe K., Vanhooydonck B., Scheers H., Molina-Borja M., and Van Damme R. Morphology, performance and fighting capacity in male lizards, Gallotia galloti. Functional Ecology 19 (2005) 800-807
58. Hyatt G.W., and Salmon M. Combat in the fiddler crab Uca pugilator and Uca pugnax: a quantitative analysis. Behaviour 65 (1978) 182-211
59. Jennings D.J., Gammell M.P., Carlin C.M., and Hayden T.J. Effect of body weight, antler length, resource value and experience on fight duration and intensity in fallow deer. Animal Behaviour 68 (2004) 213-221
60. Jennions M.D., and Backwell P.R.Y. Residency and size affect fight duration and outcome in the fiddler crab Uca annulipes. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 57 (1996) 293-306
61. Jensen P., and Yngvesson J. Aggression between unacquainted pigs: sequential assessment and effects of familiarity and weight. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 58 (1998) 49-61
62. Jenssen T.A., Orrell K.S., and Lovern M.B. Sexual dimorphisms in aggressive signal structure and use by a polygynous lizard, Anolis carolinensis. Copeia 2000 (2000) 140-149
63. Johnsson J.I., and Akerman A. Watch and learn: preview of the fighting ability of opponents alters contest behaviour in rainbow trout. Animal Behaviour 56 (1998) 771-776
64. Karavanich C., and Atema J. Olfactory recognition of urine signals in dominance fights between male lobster, Homarus americanus. Behaviour 135 (1998) 719-730
65. Katoh E., Johnson M., and Breithaupt T. Fighting behaviour and the role of urinary signals in dominance assessment of Norway lobsters, Nephrops norvegicus. Behaviour 145 (2008) 1447-1464
66. Keeley E.R., and Grant J.W.A. Visual information, resource value, and sequential assessment in convict cichlid (Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum) contests. Behavioral Ecology 4 (1993) 345-349
67. Kelly C.D. Fighting for harems: assessment strategies during male-male contests in the sexually dimorphic Wellington tree weta. Animal Behaviour 72 (2006) 727-736
68. Kelly C.D., and Godin J.G.J. Predation risk reduces male-male sexual competition in the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 51 (2001) 95-100
69. Kemp D.J. Contest behavior in territorial male butterflies: does size matter?. Behavioral Ecology 11 (2000) 591-596
70. Kemp D.J., Alcock J., and Allen G.R. Sequential size assessment and multicomponent decision rules mediate aerial wasp contests. Animal Behaviour 71 (2006) 279-287
71. Leimar O., Austad S., and Enquist M. A test of the sequential assessment game: fighting in the bowl and doily spider Frontinella pyramitela. Evolution 45 (1991) 862-874
72. Leiser J.K., Gagliardi J.L., and Itzkowitz M. Does size matter? Assessment and fighting in small and large size-matched pairs of adult male convict cichlids. Journal of Fish Biology 64 (2004) 1339-1350
73. Lindstrom K. The effect of resource holding potential, nest size and information about resource quality on the outcome of intruder-owner conflicts in the sand goby. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 30 (1992) 53-58
74. Manson J., and Wrangham R. Intergroup aggression in chimpanzees and humans. Current Anthropology 32 (1991) 369-390
75. Marden J.H., and Rollins R.A. Assessment of energy reserves by damselflies engaged in aerial contests for mating territories. Animal Behaviour 48 (1994) 1023-1030
76. Maynard Smith J., and Parker G.A. The logic of asymmetric contests. Animal Behaviour 24 (1976) 159-175
77. Mesterton-Gibbons M., Marden J.H., and Dugatkin L.A. On wars of attrition without assessment. Journal of Theoretical Biology 181 (1996) 65-83
78. Moore J.C., Obbard D.J., Reuter C., West S.A., and Cook J.M. Fighting strategies in two species of fig wasp. Animal Behaviour 76 (2008) 315-322
79. Morrell L.J., Backwell P.R.Y., and Metcalfe N.B. Fighting in fiddler crabs Uca mjoebergi: what determines duration?. Animal Behaviour 70 (2005) 653-662
80. Morris M.R., Gass L., and Ryan M.J. Assessment and individual recognition of opponents in the pygmy swordtails Xiphophorus nigrensis and X. multilineatus. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 37 (1995) 303-310
81. Moya-Larano J., and Wise D.H. Survival regression analysis: a powerful tool for evaluating fighting and assessment. Animal Behaviour 60 (2000) 307-313
82. Parker G.A. Assessment strategy and evolution of fighting behavior. Journal of Theoretical Biology 47 (1974) 223-243
83. Parker G.A., and Rubenstein D.I. Role assessment, reserve strategy, and acquisition of information in asymmetric animal conflicts. Animal Behaviour 29 (1981) 221-240
84. Parker G.A., and Stuart R.A. Animal behavior as a strategy optimizer: evolution of resource assessment strategies and optimal emigration thresholds. American Naturalist 110 (1976) 1055-1076
85. Pavey C.R., and Fielder D.R. The influence of size differential on agonistic behaviour in the freshwater crayfish, Cherax cuspidatas (Decapoda: Parastacidae). Journal of Zoology 238 (1996) 445-457
86. Payne R.J.H. Gradually escalating fights and displays: the cumulative assessment model. Animal Behaviour 56 (1998) 651-662
87. Payne R.J.H., and Pagel M. Escalation and time costs in displays of endurance. Journal of Theoretical Biology 183 (1996) 185-193
88. Payne R.J.H., and Pagel M. Why do animals repeat displays?. Animal Behaviour 54 (1997) 109-119
89. Pomfret J.C., and Knell R.J. Sexual selection and horn allometry in the dung beetle Euoniticellus intermedius. Animal Behaviour 71 (2005) 567-576
90. Poole J.H. Announcing intent: the aggressive state of musth in African elephants. Animal Behaviour 37 (1989) 140-152
91. Pratt A.E., McLain D.K., and Lathrop G.R. The assessment game in sand fiddler crab contests for breeding burrows. Animal Behaviour 65 (2003) 945-955
92. Prenter J., Elwood R.W., and Taylor P.W. Self-assessment by males during energetically costly contests over precopula females in amphipods. Animal Behaviour 72 (2006) 861-868
93. Prenter J., Taylor P.W., and Elwood R.W. Large body size for winning and large swords for winning quickly in swordtail males, Xiphophorus helleri. Animal Behaviour 75 (2008) 1981-1987
94. Renison D., Boersma D., and Martella M.B. Winning and losing: causes for variability in outcome of fights in male Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus). Behavioral Ecology 13 (2002) 462-466
95. Riechert S.E. Games spiders play: behavioral variability in territorial disputes. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 3 (1978) 135-162
96. Rillich J., Schildberger K., and Stevenson P.A. Assessment strategy of fighting crickets revealed by manipulating information exchange. Animal Behaviour 74 (2007) 823-836
97. Rosenberg R.H., and Enquist M. Contest behaviour in Weidemeyer's admiral butterfly Limenitis weidemeyerii (Nymphalidae): the effect of size and residency. Animal Behaviour 42 (1991) 805-811
98. Rushen J. A difference in weight reduces fighting when unacquainted newly weaned pigs first meet. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 67 (1987) 951-960
99. Rushen J. Assessment of fighting ability or simple habituation: what causes young pigs (Sus scrofa) to stop fighting?. Aggressive Behavior 14 (1988) 155-167
100. Sell A., Cosmides L., Tooby J., Sznycer D., Von Rueden C., and Gurven M. Human adaptations for the visual assessment of strength and fighting ability from the body and face. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 276 (2009) 575-584
101. Smallegange I.M., Sabelis M.W., and Van Der Meer J. Assessment games in shore crab fights. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 351 (2007) 255-266
102. Smith I.P., Huntingford F.A., Atkinson R.J., and Taylor A.C. Strategic decisions during agonistic behaviour in the velvet swimming crab, Necora puber (L.). Animal Behaviour 47 (1994) 885-894
103. Sneddon L.U., Huntingford F.A., and Taylor A.C. Weapon size versus body size as a predictor of winning in fights between shore crabs, Carcinus maenas (L.). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 41 (1997) 237-242
104. Stamps J.A., and Krishnan V.V. Territory acquisition in lizards: 1. First encounters. Animal Behaviour 47 (1994) 1375-1385
105. Stokkebo S., and Hardy I.C.W. The importance of being gravid: egg load and contest outcome in a parasitoid wasp. Animal Behaviour 59 (2000) 1111-1118
106. Stuart-Fox D. Testing game theory models: fighting ability and decision rules in chameleon contests. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 273 (2006) 1555-1561
107. Stuart-Fox D.M., and Johnston G.R. Experience overrides colour in lizard contests. Behaviour 142 (2005) 329-350
108. Stuart-Fox D.M., and Whiting M.J. Male dwarf chameleons assess risk of courting large, aggressive females. Biology Letters 1 (2005) 231-234
109. Stuart-Fox D.M., Firth D., Moussalli A., and Whiting M.J. Multiple signals in chameleon contests: designing and analysing animal contests as a tournament. Animal Behaviour 71 (2006) 1263-1271
110. Stutt A.D., and Wilmer P. Territorial defence in speckled wood butterflies: do the hottest males always win?. Animal Behaviour 55 (1998) 1341-1347
111. Taylor P.W., and Elwood R.W. The mismeasure of animal contests. Animal Behaviour 65 (2003) 1195-1202
112. Taylor P.W., Hasson O., and Clark D.L. Initiation and resolution of jumping spider contests: roles for size, proximity and early detection of rivals. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 50 (2001) 403-413
113. Tibbetts E.A., and Curtis T.R. Rearing conditions influence quality signals but not individual identity signals in Polistes wasps. Behavioral Ecology 18 (2007) 602-607
114. Tibbetts E.A., and Dale J. A socially enforced signal of quality in a paper wasp. Nature 432 (2004) 218-222
115. Tibbetts E.A., and Lindsay R. Visual signals of status and rival assessment in Polistes dominulus paper wasps. Biology Letters 4 (2008) 237-239
116. Triefenbach F.A., and Zakon H.H. Changes in signalling during agonistic interactions between male weakly electric knifefish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus. Animal Behaviour 75 (2008) 1263-1272
117. Vanhooydonck B., Herrel A., Van Damme R., Meyers J.J., and Irschick D.J. The relationship between dewlap size and performance changes with age and sex in a green anole (Anolis carolinensis) lizard population. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 59 (2005) 157-165
118. Verrell P.A. Wrestling in the red-spotted newt (Notophthalmus viridescens): resource value and contestant asymmetry determine contest duration and outcome. Animal Behaviour 34 (1986) 398-402
119. Ward P.I. Advantages and a disadvantage of large size for male Gammarus pulex (Crustacea, Amphipoda). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 14 (1983) 69-76
120. Wells M.S. Effects of body size and resource value on fighting behaviour in a jumping spider. Animal Behaviour 36 (1988) 321-326
121. Whitehouse M.E.A. Experience influences male-male contests in the spider Argyrodes antipodiana (Theridiidae: Araneae). Animal Behaviour 53 (1997) 913-923
122. Wilson J.D. Correlates of agonistic display by great tits Parus major. Behaviour 121 (1992) 168-214
123. Wise S.E., and jaeger R.G. The influence of tail autotomy on agonistic behaviour in a territorial salamander. Animal Behaviour 55 (1998) 1707-1716
124. Zamudio K.R., Huey R.B., and Crill W.D. Bigger isn't always better: body-size, developmental and parental temperature and male territorial success in Drosophila melanogaster. Animal Behaviour 49 (1995) 671-677
125. Zucker N., and Murray L. Determinants of dominance in the tree lizard Urosaurus ornatus: the relative importance of mass, previous experience and coloration. Ethology 102 (1996) 812-825
126. Zulandt-Schneider R.A., Huber R., and Moore P.A. Individual and status recognition in the crayfish, Orconectes rusticus: the effects of urine release on fight dynamics. Behaviour 138 (2001) 137-153