Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Proc Biol Sci. 2018 Jan 31;285(1871). doi: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2542.
Safe and effective conflict resolution is critical for survival and reproduction. Theoretical models describe how animals resolve conflict by assessing their own and/or their opponent's ability (resource holding potential, RHP), yet experimental tests of these models are often inconclusive. Recent reviews have suggested this uncertainty could be alleviated by using multiple approaches to test assessment models. The mantis shrimp presents visual displays and ritualistically exchanges high-force strikes during territorial contests. We tested how contest dynamics were explained by any of three assessment models-pure self-assessment, cumulative assessment and mutual assessment-using correlations and a novel, network analysis-based sequential behavioural analysis. We staged dyadic contests over burrow access between competitors matched either randomly or based on body size. In both randomly and size-matched contests, the best metric of RHP was body mass. Burrow residency interacted with mass to predict outcome. Correlations between contest costs and RHP rejected pure self-assessment, but could not fully differentiate between cumulative and mutual assessment. The sequential behavioural analysis ruled out cumulative assessment and supported mutual assessment. Our results demonstrate how multiple analyses provide strong inference to tests of assessment models and illuminate how individual behaviours constitute an assessment strategy.
安全有效的冲突解决对于生存和繁殖至关重要。理论模型描述了动物如何通过评估自身和/或对手的能力（资源持有潜力，RHP）来解决冲突，但这些模型的实验测试往往没有定论。最近的评论表明，通过使用多种方法来测试评估模型，可以减轻这种不确定性。螳螂虾在领地竞争中会展示视觉展示，并仪式性地交换高力量的打击。我们使用相关性和一种新颖的基于网络分析的顺序行为分析，测试了三种评估模型（纯粹的自我评估、累积评估和相互评估）中的任何一种如何解释竞争动态-纯粹的自我评估、累积评估和相互评估。我们在竞争对手之间进行了双体竞争，以争夺进入洞穴的机会，竞争是随机进行的，或者是基于体型进行匹配的。在随机和体型匹配的比赛中，衡量 RHP 的最佳指标是体重。洞穴居住与体重相互作用，预测结果。比赛成本与 RHP 之间的相关性排除了纯粹的自我评估，但不能完全区分累积评估和相互评估。顺序行为分析排除了累积评估并支持相互评估。我们的结果表明，多种分析为评估模型的测试提供了强有力的推断，并阐明了个体行为如何构成评估策略。
