Weapon growth widens the gap between the best- and worst-armed males.

Evidence

Deterrence is an integral and intuitive stage in the unfolding of an arms race. As weapons increase in size they get more expensive. Fewer and fewer males can afford to pay the price, widening the gap between rich and poor. By pulling the extremes farther apart, evolutionary increases in weapon size magnify the rifts between haves and have-nots. Zero stays zero, but the biggest weapons keep getting bigger. As signals, weapons become more honest and more visible simultaneously, fueling the evolution of deterrence. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 386

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Poor-quality males pay steeper costs for large weapons and so invest less — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 797; Only a minority of males can afford to build full-size weapons — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 326; Early survival advantages compound into huge adult differences in weapon resources — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 334

Related

• Only a minority of males can afford to build full-size weapons (similarity 0.90)
• Weapons evolve only when reproductive benefits exceed costs (similarity 0.90)
• Deterrence amplifies the evolutionary payoff of extreme weapon size. (similarity 0.90)
• Weapons work primarily as deterrents that prevent fights rather than win them (similarity 0.89)
• Poor-quality males pay steeper costs for large weapons and so invest less (similarity 0.89)
• Weapon evolution and deterrence form a self-accelerating spiral. (similarity 0.88)
• Weapons primarily deter rivals rather than inflict harm in actual fights (similarity 0.88)
• Weapons evolved as signals so males could predict fight outcomes before risking battle (similarity 0.87)
• Big weapons only benefit males with the reserves to wield them effectively (similarity 0.87)
• Weapon escalation ends when costs outweigh benefits and cheaters invade (similarity 0.87)
• Weapons grow late because development prioritizes mandatory survival expenses first (similarity 0.87)
• Reproductive success, not survival, drives the largest animal weapons (similarity 0.87)
• Weapons are better signals than body size because they vary from zero to enormous (similarity 0.87)
• Weapon costliness keeps signals honest by excluding weaker males (similarity 0.87)
• Weapon size in animal species is under stabilizing selection, not open-ended directional selection (similarity 0.86)

Broader Connections

• Early survival advantages compound into huge adult differences in weapon resources #corroborates (0.60) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 334