Differential Selection According To The Degree Of Cheating In A Status Signal

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 13 Aug 2008 - 7:00 PDT

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A badge of status is arbitrary morphological markings of animals, which evolved to avoid unnecessary fights.

The maintenance of honesty in a badge-of-status system is not fully understood, despite many studies. Our experiment examined the relationship between badge size and winter survival, and the long-term costs of cheating, by manipulating badge size in male house sparrows.

Interestingly, in the experimental (badge-enlargement) group, males with originally large badges had increased winter survival, whereas males with originally small badges had decreased survival. Therefore, the degree of cheating affected their rates of survival (i.e. the more cheating, the more likely to die).

Royal Society journal Biology Letters

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Biology Letters