Arms-race weapon growth makes resource trade-offs drastically impair body functions

Evidence

Resource allocation trade-offs shape the development of all animals, but most of the time the effects are trivial. When animals begin to invest unusually heavily into particular structures, however, the effects of trade-offs become more pronounced. Weapons caught up in arms races get very big very fast, and in these species resources channeled into growth of the weapons can drastically impair bodily functions. In insects, this sometimes means reduced growth of other body parts. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 296

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Weapons in arms races get so big they impair other bodily functions; Extreme skew in mating success drives arms-race escalation in weaponry; Arms races inevitably stall as weapon costs neutralize reproductive benefits — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 432 (+7 more)

Related

• Weapons in arms races get so big they impair other bodily functions (similarity 0.94)
• Growing large weapons diverts resources and stunts other body parts (similarity 0.93)
• Infections shrink weapon growth because immunity consumes the same resource pool (similarity 0.90)
• Weapon size should track resource availability more than any mandatory body part (similarity 0.90)
• Arms races inevitably stall as weapon costs neutralize reproductive benefits (similarity 0.88)
• Weapon growth is far more resource-sensitive than other body parts (similarity 0.88)
• Early survival advantages compound into huge adult differences in weapon resources (similarity 0.87)
• Weapons grow late because development prioritizes mandatory survival expenses first (similarity 0.87)
• Balancing selection normally curbs weapon size until some lineages escape into runaway arms races (similarity 0.86)
• Weapons evolve only when reproductive benefits exceed costs (similarity 0.86)
• Extreme skew in mating success drives arms-race escalation in weaponry (similarity 0.85)
• Reproductive success, not survival, drives the largest animal weapons (similarity 0.85)
• Weapon growth widens the gap between the best- and worst-armed males. (similarity 0.85)
• Rutting stag health collapses from the cost of weapons and mating (similarity 0.85)
• Specific ecological circumstances must align before weapon arms races begin (similarity 0.85)

Broader Connections

• Infections shrink weapon growth because immunity consumes the same resource pool #exemplifies (0.75) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 343
• Weapon growth is far more resource-sensitive than other body parts #corroborates (0.70) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 340
• Weapon size honestly signals fighting ability because growth tracks health and nutrition #expands (0.60) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 371
• Early survival advantages compound into huge adult differences in weapon resources #expands (0.55) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 334
• Animal weapons evolved to extremes far beyond practical size #expands (0.50) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 2