Evol Ecol Res 9: 395-408 (2007)     Full PDF if your library subscribes.

ESS distribution of display duration in animal contests to assess an opponent before fighting or fleeing

Takashi Uehara,1 Yoh Iwasa1* and Hisashi Ohtsuki1,2

1Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan and  2Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

Author to whom all correspondence should be addressed.
e-mail: yiwasscb@mbox.nc.kyushu-u.ac.jp

ABSTRACT

Questions: What determines the duration of conventional display in animal contests?

Mathematical method: Evolutionarily stable probability distribution of display duration is calculated mathematically.

Key assumptions: Display lasts until one of the contestants chooses to fight or flee. The outcome of fighting between two contestants is determined by their relative strength, which is unknown at the beginning but becomes more and more apparent to both contestants with time.

Conclusions: The ESS population may include individuals with very different display durations. The more valuable the contested resource and the greater the cost of losing a contest, the longer the display lasts. Animals that assess their opponents with very high or very low efficiency will engage in shorter displays than animals with intermediate assessment efficiency.

Keywords: assessment, contest behaviour, display duration, evolutionarily stable state.

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