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Resistance and tolerance in animal enemy-victim coevolution
1Section for Animal Ecology, Department of Biology, Lund University, SE-22362 Lund, Sweden. erik.svensson@zooekol.lu.se
Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|January 23, 2010
Summary
Victim defense involves resistance and tolerance. Tolerance, minimizing fitness impacts without harming enemies, is crucial in animal interactions and coevolution, yet often overlooked.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Animal Behavior
- Ecology
Background:
- Victim defense strategies include resistance (reducing attack success) and tolerance (reducing fitness costs of attacks).
- While resistance impacts enemy fitness, tolerance does not necessarily, influencing coevolutionary dynamics.
- Animal studies predominantly focus on resistance, neglecting the role of tolerance in victim defense.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the importance of tolerance as a defense mechanism in animal interactions.
- To explore the potential coevolutionary consequences of tolerance variation in animal populations.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual review and synthesis of existing literature on victim defense strategies.
- Analysis of tolerance and resistance in the context of animal-specific interactions like brood parasitism, mating, and territoriality.
Main Results:
- Tolerance is proposed as a significant, yet understudied, defense strategy in animals.
- Variation in tolerance can have substantial implications for the coevolution of enemies and victims.
Conclusions:
- Tolerance represents a key, often overlooked, component of animal defense.
- Further research into tolerance is essential for understanding animal coevolutionary processes.
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