Competition

Question 1

What is the simplest form of competition among animals?

Answer 1

Exploitation: using up a shared resource without territory defense or fighting.

Question 2

What is the Ideal Free Distribution?

Answer 2

1. Animals occupy the rich habitat until the reward drops below that from the poor habitat.
2. The next animal goes to the poor habitat, as do several more. Only then will it pay for the next animal to go to the rich habitat.
3. The two habitats fill up as animals alternate between the two, choosing the one that gives them the best return.

Question 3

What is resource defense in animal competition?

Answer 3

1. The first individual to arrive establishes a territory, as do the next few.
2. All the habitat is occupied by territorial animals.
3. The next animal is forced to go to the poor habitat, which supports fewer animals and quickly fills.
4. No other animals can find a territory.

Question 4

What are the pay-offs of territoriality?

Answer 4

1. If resources are low, it may not pay to defend.
2. When resources are high, it may not be worth defending due to too many competitors or limited intake by other factors.
3. Territoriality may have costs, such as increased conspicuousness and predation risk.

Question 5

What is the behavior of yellow dung flies in competition?

Answer 5

Males wait for females, who prefer fresh partners over crusty ones. Pay-offs for different waiting times are frequency dependent.

Question 6

What factors determine the outcome of a fight among animals?

Answer 6

Body size, weaponry, resource ownership, resource valuation, motivation, energy reserves, and prior experience.