Question 1

The difference in the terms "aggression" and "agonistic behavior" is that agonistic behavior

Accepted Answer

Agonistic behavior encompasses a range of behaviors associated with conflict between individuals of the same species (conspecifics), including not just aggression but also submission and avoidance. It covers the actions of both the initiator and the receiver in a conflict situation.

Question 2

Which of the following would NOT be considered an example of agonistic behavior?

Accepted Answer

Agonistic behavior refers to social behaviors related to fighting, including aggression, submission, and avoidance, but not to alarm calls, which are responses to predators rather than interactions between conspecifics competing or displaying dominance/submission.

Question 3

Early ethologists tended to believe that

Accepted Answer

Early ethologists believed that animals displayed restraint in fighting to avoid harming the species as a whole, a concept known as group selection.

Question 4

To construct hypotheses about the evolution of conflict behavior, many researchers have turned to game theory because

Accepted Answer

Game theory is utilized by researchers to construct hypotheses about the evolution of conflict behavior because it allows for the prediction of an animal's optimal strategy by considering the behavior of other animals, thus providing insights into the dynamics of conflict and cooperation in the natural world.

Question 5

In a simple game-theory model of aggression called the hawk-dove game, which of the following strategies is NOT likely?

Accepted Answer

In the hawk-dove game, a dove strategy involves avoiding conflict, so a dove would not immediately attack another dove upon meeting. This game models behavior strategies where "hawks" are aggressive and "doves" are more peaceful or avoidant.

Question 6

If V=value of the resource, W=cost of being wounded, and D=cost of displaying, which of the following terms correctly represents the average payoff for an interaction in which a dove meets another dove?

Accepted Answer

When a dove meets another dove, they display but do not engage in physical conflict. The cost of displaying (D) is incurred, but they eventually share the resource, each getting half of its value (V/2). Thus, the average payoff is (V/2) - D.

Question 7

If V=value of the resource, W=cost of being wounded, and D=cost of displaying, which of the following terms correctly represents the average payoff for an interaction in which a hawk meets a dove?

Accepted Answer

When a hawk meets a dove, the dove typically retreats, allowing the hawk to claim the resource without a fight. Therefore, the hawk gains the full value of the resource (V), without incurring any cost of being wounded (W) or the cost of displaying (D).

Question 8

If V=value of the resource, W=cost of being wounded, and D=cost of displaying, which of the following terms correctly represents the average payoff for an interaction in which a dove meets a hawk?

Accepted Answer

When a dove meets a hawk, the dove does not engage in a fight and thus does not incur the cost of being wounded (W). However, it also does not gain any value from the resource (V) because the hawk takes it. Therefore, the average payoff for the dove is 0.

Question 9

If V=value of the resource, W=cost of being wounded, and D=cost of displaying, which of the following terms correctly represents the average payoff for an interaction in which a hawk meets another hawk?

Accepted Answer

When a hawk meets another hawk, the outcome can either be winning the resource with value V and not getting wounded, or losing and getting wounded with cost W. Since these outcomes are equally likely, the average payoff is the average of winning (V) and losing (-W), which is (V-W)/2.

Question 10

In the numerical example given in the text, where the value of the resource (V)=30, the cost of being wounded (W)=60, and the cost of displaying (D)=5, the equilibrium proportion for hawks was calculated to be .57. This means that an ESS will be produced if

Accepted Answer

The equilibrium proportion of .57 for hawks in the given scenario means that an Evolutionarily Stable Strategy (ESS) will be achieved if 57% of the individuals adopt the hawk strategy, which inherently means that 43% will adopt the dove strategy. Additionally, an individual could theoretically mix strategies, playing hawk 57% of the time and dove 43% of the time, to achieve the same equilibrium on average. Therefore, all the given options contribute to the establishment of an ESS in this context.

Question 11

If V=value of the resource, W=cost of being wounded, and D=cost of displaying, under what circumstances might a pure hawk strategy be an ESS?

Accepted Answer

A pure hawk strategy might be an Evolutionarily Stable Strategy (ESS) when the value of the resource (V) is greater than the cost of being wounded (W). This is because, in such a scenario, the benefits of securing the resource outweigh the costs associated with aggressive encounters.

Question 12

If V=value of the resource, W=cost of being wounded, and D=cost of displaying, then the fact that male elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris and M. leonina) fight brutal and bloody battles for the right to mate

Accepted Answer

All the options provided are correct and relate to the behaviors and outcomes of male elephant seal mating strategies. A) aligns with game theory predictions about aggressive (hawk) strategies when the value of the resource exceeds the cost of conflict. B) reflects the polygynous mating system where a few dominant males secure access to females. C) indicates the high cost of maintaining a harem, leading to a short tenure as harem master.

Question 13

Toads (Bufo bufo) are especially willing to engage in energetic battles over females, probably because

Accepted Answer

The cost of battle relative to the benefit of winning is low for toads (Bufo bufo) when it comes to competing for females. This means that the potential rewards (access to mating opportunities) outweigh the energy and risks involved in the fights, making them more willing to engage in these battles.

Question 14

In the basic hawk-dove model, we assume that

Accepted Answer

In the basic hawk-dove model, it is assumed that all individuals have the same ability to fight, simplifying the analysis of strategies and outcomes in conflicts over resources. This assumption allows for the focus on strategy choices rather than differences in fighting ability.

Question 15

If a conditional strategy, such as the "assessor strategy", is to be effective it is likely that

Accepted Answer

The "assessor strategy" involves animals assessing their opponents' strength or resource holding potential and adjusting their behavior accordingly. This includes evolving accurate assessment abilities (A), the ability to bluff (B), and adjusting fighting strategies based on these assessments (C), making all of the options correct.

Question 16

Whitehouse (1997) set up fights between pairs of tiny spiders (Argyrodes antipodiana) that were matched for size. In each case, however, one of the two spiders had previously experienced a fight that it had won and the other had previously experienced a fight that it had lost. Whitehouse found that in 15 of the 17 pairs tested,

Accepted Answer

Whitehouse's experiment found that spiders with a previous winning experience were more likely to defeat their size-matched opponents, supporting the idea that prior victories can boost future performance, possibly due to increased confidence or aggression.

Question 17

Northern harrier hawks (Circus cyaneus) are less aggressive at some times than they are at others toward territorial intruders that might steal food. This is most likely to happen when the territory owners

Accepted Answer

Northern harrier hawks are less aggressive towards territorial intruders when they have just eaten because their immediate need for food is satisfied, reducing the necessity to defend their territory aggressively for resources.

Question 18

In an experiment (Arnott and Elwood 2007), some hermit crabs, who use empty snail shells as shelters, were induced to change their fighting strategies such that they fought harder if they were in the role of attacker, but gave up more easily when in the role of defender. In this case, this occurred because they

Accepted Answer

The hermit crabs were induced to change their fighting strategies because they were carrying a shell with an unpleasantly scratchy inside surface, making them more motivated to fight harder as attackers to acquire a better shell and give up more easily as defenders.

Question 19

A variation of the hawk-dove model includes the bourgeois strategy, one that sets rules for dealing with prior ownership: Play hawk if you had possession first; otherwise play dove. The bourgeois strategy is an example of a(n)

Accepted Answer

The answer of A variation of the hawk-dove model includes...

Question 20

In a stable social group, the same two individuals are

Accepted Answer

In a stable social group, individuals are likely to encounter each other repeatedly, leading to the establishment of predictable relationships between them. This is a fundamental aspect of social structure within groups, where recognition and the development of specific relationships, such as dominance hierarchies or partnerships, are common.

Quiz 18: Conflict