Contest dynamics and assessment strategies in combatant monkey beetles (Scarabaeidae: Hopliini)

Some of the most striking examples of intrasexual contest competition are to be found in the insects, whose weaponry and contest behaviours have become highly intricate and diverse. Game theory has been used as a basis to develop models of the competitive assessment strategies that may be used by males to either judge their probability of winning by comparing their own fighting ability to that of their opponents, or to persist in contests for a period determined only by their own fighting ability. Conclusions from empirical studies about the means of assessment in their study systems have not, however, always been clear. In view of this, some authors have suggested that utilizing a broad suite of data concerning multiple facets of the study system may assist in gaining clearer insights into animal contests and assessment strategies. The present study integrates data on contest behaviour, weapon morphology, residency effects, cost accumulation, and correlates of contest success, to test ...

同性个体间竞争博弈最引人注目的范例之一可见于昆虫类群，其争斗武器与竞赛行为已演化得极为复杂多样。博弈论已被用作构建竞争评估策略模型的理论基础，这类模型可用于解释雄性个体如何通过比对自身与对手的战斗能力，来判断自身获胜概率；或是仅依据自身战斗能力，决定竞赛的持续时长。然而，针对各研究体系中竞争评估手段的实证研究结论，并非始终清晰明确。有鉴于此，部分学者提出，利用涵盖研究体系多维度特征的综合性数据集，有助于更清晰地解析动物竞赛与竞争评估策略。本研究整合了竞赛行为、武器形态、居留效应、成本累积以及竞赛成功相关关联因素等多类数据，旨在检验……