Lifetime tracking of 318 stag males quantifies weapons’ fitness costs

Evidence

Thomas Hayden and Alan McElligott have followed this population for more than fifteen years, during which it averaged between 300 and 700 animals. They were able to observe the rutting behavior and fighting and mating success over the entire lifetimes of 318 different males, recording who won the fights, who actually succeeded in mating, and how many offspring they sired. They also examined the costs that males paid: how much weight each male lost; how sick he ended up; and whether he was able to make up the lost weight before the onset of winter. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 313

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Rutting stag health collapses from the cost of weapons and mating — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 309; Weapon size should track resource availability more than any mandatory body part — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 338

Related

• Rutting stag health collapses from the cost of weapons and mating (similarity 0.92)
• Weapon size should track resource availability more than any mandatory body part (similarity 0.86)
• Weapons evolve only when reproductive benefits exceed costs (similarity 0.82)
• Arms races inevitably stall as weapon costs neutralize reproductive benefits (similarity 0.81)
• Arms-race weapon growth makes resource trade-offs drastically impair body functions (similarity 0.81)
• Weapon expense is what keeps signals of fighting ability honest (similarity 0.80)
• Weapon costliness keeps signals honest by excluding weaker males (similarity 0.80)
• Weapon growth widens the gap between the best- and worst-armed males. (similarity 0.80)
• Big weapons only benefit males with the reserves to wield them effectively (similarity 0.80)
• Weapons grow late because development prioritizes mandatory survival expenses first (similarity 0.80)
• Weapon-bearing male deer pay extreme costs and most never mate (similarity 0.80)
• Poor-quality males pay steeper costs for large weapons and so invest less (similarity 0.80)
• Only a minority of males can afford to build full-size weapons (similarity 0.80)
• Weapons are better signals than body size because they vary from zero to enormous (similarity 0.80)
• Weapon growth is far more resource-sensitive than other body parts (similarity 0.80)

Broader Connections

• Weapon size should track resource availability more than any mandatory body part #corroborates (0.55) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 338
• Rutting stag health collapses from the cost of weapons and mating #responds-to (0.50) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 309