We propose a practical concept that distinguishes the particular kind of weaponry that has
evolved to be used in combat between individuals of the same species and sex, which we …

For almost 40 years, studies of whole-organism performance have formed a cornerstone of
evolutionary physiology. Although its utility as a heuristic guide is beyond question, and we …

Literature Cited to accompany Animal Communication, 2e Page 1 Principles of Animal
Communication, Second Edition Jack W. Bradbury and Sandra L. Vehrencamp Chapter 14 …

The extraordinary success of social insects is partially based on division of labour, ie
individuals exclusively or preferentially perform specific tasks. Task preference may …

Bite forces play a key role in animal ecology: they affect mating behaviour, fighting success,
and the ability to feed. Although feeding habits of arthropods have a significant ecological …

In many species that fight over resources, individuals use specialized structures to gain a
mechanical advantage over their rivals during contests (ie weapons). Although weapons are …

In the stag beetle family (Lucanidae), males have diverged from females by sexual selection.
The males fight each other for mating opportunities with their enlarged mandibles. It is …

Ritualized fighting between conspecifics is an inherently dangerous behavioral strategy,
optimized to secure limited resources at minimal cost and risk. To be adaptive, potential …

Early juvenile environments influence trait expression in complex and often nonintuitive
ways. Although the breadth of these effects is well recognized, researchers generally focus …

Individual quality has been measured as a variety of different traits and in several different
contexts. However, the implications of such measurements in terms of overall fitness are less …