Question 1

Which two variables are common to all game theory models of aggressive contests?

Accepted Answer

In game theory models of aggressive contests, contest costs and resource value are common variables as they influence the strategies and outcomes of the contests.

Question 2

Which of the following answers best describes the ESS for the hawk-dove game when V > C; V < C?

Accepted Answer

When V > C, hawk is the only ESS because the value of the resource is greater than the cost of fighting. When V < C, there is a mixed ESS with an equilibrial frequency of hawks and doves because the cost of fighting exceeds the value of the resource.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a key prediction of the sequential assessment game?

Accepted Answer

The sequential assessment game predicts that the costs of fighting are significant, which is why animals engage in a series of assessments to avoid unnecessary escalation.

Question 4

Animals that adopt antibourgeois strategies:

Accepted Answer

Animals that adopt antibourgeois strategies play dove when they are the owner of a territory and hawk when they are the intruder, which is the opposite of the typical bourgeois strategy.

Question 5

In a group of four individuals (A, B, C, and D), a linear hierarchy emerges when:

Accepted Answer

A linear hierarchy is established when each individual can be ranked above the others without any circular relationships. In option C, A beats B, C, and D; B beats C and D; C beats D; and D beats no one, forming a clear linear ranking: A > B > C > D.

Question 6

Which of the following assumptions/predictions apply to the war of attrition model?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following assumptions/predictions apply to...

Question 7

Bystander effects occur when:

Accepted Answer

Bystander effects occur when an observer changes its perception of the fighting abilities of the individuals it has watched, based on the outcome of their interactions.

Question 8

One of the most important aspects of Hsu and Wolf's study on winner and loser effects in Rivulus marmoratus was that:

Accepted Answer

Hsu and Wolf's study found that both recent and "next to last" experiences influenced future contest success, with recent experiences having a more significant impact.

Question 9

Which of the following statements regarding the effects of serotonin on aggressive behavior is true?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following statements regarding the...

Question 10

Schuett's research on corticosterone and fighting in copperhead snakes (Agkistrodon contortrix) demonstrated that:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Schuett's research on corticosterone and fighting in...

Question 11

Do you think past fighting experience affects social animals in the same manner as it affects solitary animals? Provide a hypothesis that addresses why winning or losing experiences would have the same (or different) effects on solitary versus social animals.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Do you think past fighting experience affects...

Question 12

Read the article by Innocent and colleagues (2011) titled "Lethal Combat over Limited Resources: Testing the Importance of Competitors and Kin" (Behavioral Ecology, vol. 22, pp. 923-931) and review your answer to Discussion Question 1. Fatal fighting is expected to occur only when the value of the currently contested resource is much greater than the value of resources that could be obtained in the future. How might levels of competition and kinship alter these predictions? Describe how the results of Innocent et al. (2011) speak to this issue.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Read the article by Innocent and colleagues...

Question 13

Why would some animals in a population opt to observe aggressive contests rather than engage in actual physical combat? Develop at least two independent hypotheses regarding the conditions or contexts in which watching fights between others be advantageous? Here, you should think about the social environment, physical environment, and the "state" of the observer (e.g., sex, age, health, status).

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why would some animals in a population...

Question 14

This chapter describes bystander effects as situations in which individuals change their estimation of the fighting ability of those whose fights they observe. Do you think information other than that provided by visual cues is available to a bystander? Also, based on previous chapters, do you think bystander effects could operate in other social contexts, such as mate choice, foraging, cooperation, habitat selection, and territoriality?

Accepted Answer

The answer of This chapter describes bystander effects as situations...

Question 15

Levels of steroid hormone (e.g., testosterone, corticosterone) are related to the dynamics and outcome of aggressive disputes in many animals. However, are steroid hormone levels the cause or the consequence of aggressive interactions? For example, do animals with high testosterone levels become dominant, or does dominance status result in elevated testosterone levels? Devise an experiment to test these two alternatives.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Levels of steroid hormone (e.g., testosterone, corticosterone)...

Question 16

Review the article by Arnott and Elwood (2009) entitled "Assessment of Fighting Ability in Animal Contests" (Animal Behaviour, vol. 77, pp. 991-1004). In Chapter 15 of Principles of Animal Behavior, you were introduced to the sequential assessment model, wherein animals evaluate the strength of their opponent through a process akin to statistical sampling. What other types of assessment strategies might animals use? How would you discriminate among these assessment strategies experimentally? Design an experiment that would allow you to evaluate, unequivocally, which assessment strategy your organism employs during aggressive contests.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Review the article by Arnott and Elwood...

Quiz 15: Aggression