Social Combat part 2

Question 1

Group combat strategies

Answer 1

• Coordinated nest and territory defense.
• Coordinated defense of resources.
• Coordinated attacks/defenses.
• Combat castes.
• Structural defenses.

Question 2

group combat strategies - which are considered “Combat contexts”

Answer 2

• Coordinated nest and territory defense.
• Coordinated defense of resources.

Question 3

group combat strategies - which are considered “Combat strategies”

Answer 3

• Coordinated attacks/defenses.
• Combat castes.
• Structural defenses.

Question 4

what are the Lanchester’s laws of combat

Answer 4

• A case where human conflict has helped us understand animal conflict
• it was used to predict the outcome of human warfare

Question 5

which of Lanchester’s laws of combat can be used to help explain the evolution of combat in animal societies

Answer 5

Lanchester’s “Square law” and “Linear law”

Question 6

Lanchester’s square law of combat - what are the assumptions

Answer 6

every member of one side has an equal chance of being attacked by every member of the other side, and vice versa.

Question 7

Lanchester’s square law of combat - Conceptualizes a battle as what?

Answer 7

swarms on a completely open battle field

Question 8

Lanchester’s square law of combat - Under these assumptions, the theory predicts what?

Answer 8

• Individuals on the smaller side can be attacked by more than one individual on the other side — strength in numbers.
• Individual fighting prowess does not matter.
• Individuals are killed at a rate that is proportional to the size of the opposing side.
• The side with the most individuals will ultimately win — “last individual standing” outcome

Question 9

Lanchester’s linear law of combat - what are the assumptions

Answer 9

individuals are forced into a series of one-on one battles, or duels, with no group attacks.

Question 10

Lanchester’s linear law of combat - Conceptualizes a battle on what?

Answer 10

a highly restricted plane of combat

Question 11

Lanchester’s linear law of combat - Under these assumptions, the theory predicts what?

Answer 11

• Extra individuals on the larger side remain unengaged until a member of the other side is free to attack.
• Individual fighting prowess determines the outcome of each duel.
• The side with the most powerful fighters will win.

Question 12

Lanchester’s linear law of combat - what is it based on

Answer 12

• legend of 300 Spartans
• known for being highly skilled soldiers, holding the entire Persian army in check in a narrow mountain pass

Question 13

what predictions do Lanchester’s laws provide?

Answer 13

provide predictions for how the evolutionary arms race between societies will play out, and what kind of adaptations should be favored

Question 14

Lanchester’s laws and the evolution of social combat - In any given interaction, what series of key questions can be asked?

Answer 14

• Is it a competitive or predator-prey interaction?
• What is the configuration of the combat arena?
• What combat traits are individuals equipped with from their evolutionary history?
• Does individual fighting prowess matter, and what adaptations might selection favor?

Question 15

Coordinated nest defense vs. territory defense - nest defense

Answer 15

The nest is a highly restricted combat arena, with narrow entrances and tunnels — scenario approximates the conditions of the linear law.

Question 16

Coordinated nest defense vs. territory defense - What kind of adaptations might we see in nest defense?

Answer 16

• Adaptations that enhance individual fighting prowess are likely to be selected.
• We might also expect team fighting strategies — a way to increase fighting prowess beyond the maximum prowess of a single individual.

Question 17

Coordinated nest defense vs. territory defense - Territory defense

Answer 17

larger, open combat arena where interactions approach the assumptions of the square law.

Question 18

Coordinated nest defense vs. territory defense: Territory defense - Would we expect to see soldiers at territory boundaries?

Answer 18

No bc fighting prowess is not important

Question 19

coordinated nest defense vs territory defense: territory defense - What adaptations would we expect?

Answer 19

• Evolution of “sentry” behavior by lots of small fighters is common at territory borders
• Rapid recruitment mechanisms also evolve to allow very large numbers of individuals to engage in battles

Question 20

Lanchester’s square law of combat - what war does it describe

Answer 20

describes a “war of attrition”

Question 21

Lanchester’s linear law of combat - what war does it describe

Answer 21

describes series of “gladiator duels”

Question 22

threat vs combat - In competitive wars of attrition what should evolve and what does it establish?

Answer 22

threat displays evolve to establish which colony is bigger, and so who would win if a fight was started.

Question 23

threat vs combat - desert honeypot ants

Answer 23

• they “measure” themselves against each other in threat displays.
• If one colony realizes it is smaller, it deescalates hostility.
• bigger colonies typically have larger ant sizes
• Fighting will ensue if ritualized displays determine the sides are evenly matched.

Question 24

Combat and coordinated defense of resources - How might the spatial context of the resources shift the outcome of competition?

Answer 24

• Open foraging arena favors numerical superiority and not size…and adaptations to disrupt the competitive context.
• Localized resources favor early domination of resources and subsequent defense

Question 25

Spatial context of resources can shift the balance of competition - small ants

Answer 25

Small ants dominate when there is open access to the food resources

Question 26

Spatial context of resources can shift the balance of competition - large ants

Answer 26

Large ants dominate when there is restricted, defensible access to the food resources