Animal Contests

Covers contest behaviour in detail from theoretical and empirical perspectives and across a wide range of species.

Ian C. W. Hardy (Edited by), Mark Briffa (Edited by)

9780521887106, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 30 May 2013

379 pages, 70 b/w illus. 11 colour illus. 14 tables
25.2 x 19.3 x 2 cm, 1 kg

'All the contributions are detailed, authoritative and clearly written, providing a thorough, critical picture of, as appropriate, current theory on the evolution of animal contests or the current status of relevant empirical research in particular kinds of animal. Taken as a whole, the editors have achieved their aim of providing an across-the-board perspective on the evolution of contest behaviour in animals that links a very extensive body of theory to a growing body of relevant empirical data.' Felicity Huntingford, Animal Behaviour

Contests are an important aspect of the lives of diverse animals, from sea anemones competing for space on a rocky shore to fallow deer stags contending for access to females. Why do animals fight? What determines when fights stop and which contestant wins? Addressing fundamental questions on contest behaviour, this volume presents theoretical and empirical perspectives across a range of species. The historical development of contest research, the evolutionary theory of both dyadic and multiparty contests, and approaches to experimental design and data analysis are discussed in the first chapters. This is followed by reviews of research in key animal taxa, from the use of aerial displays and assessment rules in butterflies and the developmental biology of weapons in beetles, through to interstate warfare in humans. The final chapter considers future directions and applications of contest research, making this a comprehensive resource for both graduate students and researchers in the field.

List of contributors
Foreword Geoff Parker
Preface
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction to animal contests Mark Briffa and Ian C. W. Hardy
2. Dyadic contests: modelling fights between two individuals Hanna Kokko
3. Models of group or multi-party contests Tom N. Sherratt and Mike Mesterton-Gibbons
4. Analysis of animal contest data Mark Briffa, Ian C. W. Hardy, Martin P. Gammell, Dómhnall J. Jennings, David Clarke and Marlène Goubault
5. Contests in crustaceans: assessments, decisions and their underlying mechanisms Mark Briffa
6. Aggression in spiders Robert W. Elwood and John Prenter
7. Contest behaviour in butterflies: fighting without weapons Darrell J. Kemp
8. Hymenopteran contests and agonistic behaviour Ian C. W. Hardy, Marlène Goubault and Tim P. Batchelor
9. Horns and the role of development in the evolution of beetle contests Emilie C. Snell-Rood and Armin P. Moczek
10. Contest behaviour in fishes Ryan L. Earley and Yuying Hsu
11. Contests in amphibians Mandy L. Dyson, Michael S. Reichert and Tim R. Halliday
12. Lizards and other reptiles as model systems for the study of contest behaviour Troy A. Baird
13. Bird contests: from hatching to fertilisation Sarah R. Pryke
14. Contest behaviour in ungulates Dómhnall J. Jennings and Martin P. Gammell
15. Human contests: evolutionary theory and the analysis of interstate war Scott A. Field and Mark Briffa
16. Prospects for animal contests Mark Briffa, Ian C. W. Hardy and Sophie L. Mowles
Index.

Subject Areas: Animal behaviour [PSVP], Zoology & animal sciences [PSV]