Navigating through nuances: a systematic review and a new simulation model to integrate individual variability in the decision rules of animal conflicts

• Grant number: 24/04274-2
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - Brazil
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Animal Behavior
• Principal Investigator: Glauco Machado
• Grantee: Glauco Machado
• Visiting researcher: Paulo Enrique Cardoso Peixoto
• Visiting researcher institution: Instituto De Ciências Biológicas/Icb/Ufmg, Brazil
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Intraspecific agonistic interactions represent one of the most fundamental behaviors in studies of behavioral ecology, as they mediate individuals' access to resources essential for survival and/or reproduction. Understanding this type of interaction has led to the development of a series of theoretical models (based on evolutionary game theory) to try to explain why, in most species, rivals engage in ritualized behavioral sequences that rarely lead to death. The great diversity of models has fostered extensive empirical research with different animal groups. In general, both theoretical and empirical studies classify decision rules into two mutually exclusive options: the first, called self-assessment, considers that rivals make decisions throughout fights based only on their own condition, while the second, called mutual assessment, considers that rivals are able to compare their chance of winning with that of their opponent to decide whether to persist or withdraw from the confrontation. However, most empirical studies have found mixed support for different theoretical models, which hinders understanding of which decision rules are adopted by rivals during fights and how they may have evolved. In particular, recent studies have suggested that individuals with distinct decision rules can coexist in the same population and that accumulated costs of fights can compromise longevity and lifetime reproductive success - two points that are not considered in existing theoretical models. For this reason, identifying the possible costs of fights, their effects on individuals' lifetime reproductive success, and incorporating these processes into an integrative theoretical model represent crucial advances for understanding decision rules in agonistic interactions. In this proposal, we intend to conduct a systematic review to establish the current state of knowledge on the effects of fight costs on individuals' reproductive success and develop an individual-based simulation model capable of evaluating which decision rules may be favored in different evolutionary scenarios. Additionally, the visit of the visiting researcher will be valuable to enable us to work on additional articles stemming from our research partnerships and submit new proposals to funding agencies. The researcher will also be involved in co-supervising students, teaching courses, and participating in examination boards, bringing multiple benefits to the proponent's research group and academic activities of the Graduate Programs in Ecology and Zoology at the University of São Paulo. (AU)