Releasing soldiers from other tasks lets weapons evolve to extremes

Evidence

The ability to uncouple development paved the way for independent evolution of carnivore teeth—canines diverged from premolars, and premolars from molars. In social insects, an analogous uncoupling permitted soldiers and workers to evolve independently, and to diverge considerably in form. Soldiers didn’t need to run efficiently, fly, conduct colony maintenance tasks, or even reproduce. They had only to perform as soldiers. Their release from these other tasks meant that the negative consequences of enlarged weapon sizes were minimal. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 128

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Weapons in arms races get so big they impair other bodily functions; Balanced selection keeps most animal weapons modest rather than extreme.; Ambush predation releases predators from chasing speed, allowing extreme weapon evolution. (+10 more)

Related

• Weapons in arms races get so big they impair other bodily functions (similarity 0.90)
• Human armies and social insects solved the same weapon trade-off by role specialization (similarity 0.87)
• Human and animal arms races follow parallel evolutionary dynamics (similarity 0.85)
• Animal weapons evolved to extremes far beyond practical size (similarity 0.84)
• Arms-race weapon growth makes resource trade-offs drastically impair body functions (similarity 0.84)
• Weapons evolve only when reproductive benefits exceed costs (similarity 0.84)
• Balancing selection normally curbs weapon size until some lineages escape into runaway arms races (similarity 0.84)
• Weapons grow late because development prioritizes mandatory survival expenses first (similarity 0.83)
• The evolutionary drivers of animal weapons also explain human weapon elaboration. (similarity 0.83)
• Weapon evolution is judged by competition among designs, not human survival (similarity 0.83)
• Species with huge weapons often show weak current selection on them. (similarity 0.83)
• Animal weapons can evolve rapidly within just seven generations (similarity 0.83)
• Human fortifications and artillery evolve via the same arms-race logic as animal weapons (similarity 0.83)
• Identical circumstances trigger and collapse arms races in animals and humans. (similarity 0.83)
• Growing large weapons diverts resources and stunts other body parts (similarity 0.83)

Broader Connections

• Human fortifications and artillery evolve via the same arms-race logic as animal weapons #corroborates (0.60) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 525
• Weapons evolve only when reproductive benefits exceed costs #qualifies (0.55) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 199
• Weapons work primarily as deterrents that prevent fights rather than win them #contradicts (0.40) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 966