Dominance & Game Theory
- Created by: Hannah-Smith
- Created on: 21-03-21 12:25
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Dominance
- How is dominance established?
- By winning aggressive encounters
- Define 'dominant'
- An individual is said to be 'dominant' to another if it wins access to resources
- Define 'subordinate'
- An individual is said to be 'subordinate' to another if it loses access to resources
- Dominance and aggressive reinforcement of status are normal parts of the lives of animals
- What are the advantages of being dominant?
- What are the disadvantages to being subordinate?
What factors might contribute to dominance in animals?
- Body size - larger
- Age - Older
- Sex - Males
- Weaponry - larger weapons
- Experience - more experienced
- Hormones - higher testosterone levels
- Number of allies - more allies of greater social status
- Mate - higher social status
Why have a dominance hierarchy?
- Decrease competition among members
- Reduce fighting
- Allows resource distribution to be controlled
- Hierarchies are not always fixed and depend on many changing factors, e.g. age, intelligence
List some problems that might arise when trying to quantify hierarchies
- Avoid fights
- No direct contact
- Winner might vary
- Can't observe everything
- Most hierarchies are not stable linear hierarchies
Serious Fights
- There is a huge potential cost from engaging in a physical fight
- 5-10% musk ox die each year from fight injuries
- Over 60% of adult narwhals have broken tusks, tusks embedded in head, or scars
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