Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Why are small males aggressive?

Lesley J Morrell1, Jan Lindström, Graeme D Ruxton

  • 1Division of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK. l.j.morrell@leeds.ac.uk

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|July 19, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Pink Cricket Club: Dramatic color change in a Neotropical leaf-masquerading katydid (Arota festae, Griffini, 1896).

Ecology·2026
Same author

The myth of the metabolic baseline: sleep-wake cycles undermine a foundational assumption in organismal biology.

Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·2026
Same author

Evolutionary influences of sexual signalling on protective colouration.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2025
Same author

Internet images reveal bumblebee-mimicking hoverflies follow models in preferring blue flowers, but retain the typical hoverfly attraction to yellow.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2025
Same author

Functional and evolutionary synergy of trait components can explain the existence of leaf masquerade in katydids.

PLoS biology·2025
Same author

Species-specific behaviour and environmental drivers of trap interactions in wild ornamental fishes.

Journal of fish biology·2025

Smaller animals sometimes initiate fights due to economic factors, not desperation or misperception. Game theory shows aggression depends on winning odds and resource value, explaining seemingly irrational animal contests.

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Ecology
  • Game Theory
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Animal contests often favor larger individuals.
  • Smaller individuals sometimes initiate aggression despite low winning odds.
  • Existing hypotheses include the desperado effect and perception errors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explain seemingly maladaptive aggression by smaller animals using economic principles.
  • To model the decision-making process in animal contests.
  • To challenge existing hypotheses for loser aggression.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a game-theoretical model.
  • Analysis of aggression based on winning probabilities and resource value.
  • Economic assessment of fighting costs versus resource benefits.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Smaller individuals are predicted to be as aggressive as larger ones when their winning chance is less than 0.5 but close to it, and resources are scarce.
  • Under abundant resources, smaller individuals may be more aggressive than larger ones.
  • Economic factors alone can explain aggression initiation by likely losers.

Conclusions:

  • Animal aggression, even by smaller individuals, can be explained by rational economic decision-making.
  • The desperado effect and perception errors are not necessary to explain loser aggression.
  • Optimal strategies in animal contests depend on resource availability and individual fighting capabilities.