Interaction location outweighs the competitive advantage of numerical superiority in Cebus capucinus intergroup contests.

ABSTRACT: Numerical superiority confers a competitive advantage during contests among animal groups, shaping patterns of resource access, and, by extension, fitness. However, relative group size does not always determine the winner of intergroup contests. Smaller, presumably weaker social groups often defeat their larger neighbors, but how and when they are able to do so remains poorly understood. Models of competition between individuals suggest that location may influence contest outcome. However, because of the logistical difficulties of studying intergroup interactions, previous studies have been unable to determine how contest location and group size interact to shape relationships among groups. We address this question by using an automated radio telemetry system to study intergroup interactio

SUBMITTER: Crofoot MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2206578 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature