Alternative reproductive tactics and status-dependent selection |
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Authors: | Lee Jonathan SF |
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Institution: | Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Seeley G. Mudd Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA |
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Abstract: | The status-dependent selection model on alternative reproductivetactics predicts a single switch-point in status: usually allplayers above some status (e.g., competitive ability) shouldpractice the tactic with the higher average payoff, while thosebelow that point should make the "best of a bad job" by practicingthe alternative, lower payoff tactic. Many empirical studiesindeed show a relationship between status and tactic choice,but they do not conform to this single switch-point prediction.I modify the status-dependent selection model by consideringstatus-dependent fitness that is mediated, at least in part,by resource acquisition (e.g., status-based competition forterritories or nuptial gifts). With variation in resource quality,predicted tactic-choice distributions change: a high-statusmale may be territorial on a high-quality territory, a lowerstatus male may practice an alternative tactic, and an evenlower status male may be territorial on a low-quality territory.Tactic choice thus alternates as in many empirical studies andcan appear to be but is not actually stochastic. As the numberof theoretically predicted switch-points increases, however,mixed or mixed-conditional strategies should become more prevalent.While alternative tactics will likely usually differ in meanpayoff, viewing alternative reproductive tactics as inherently"better" or "worse" (e.g., viewing cuckoldry as "worse"thebest of a bad job) is misleading if not tempered with awarenessthat payoff can vary greatly within tactics and overlap betweentactics. |
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Keywords: | alternative reproductive tactic best of a bad job conditional strategy cuckoldry mixed strategy status-dependent selection switch-point territoriality |
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