Competitive Behaviors and Survivability

! In the short term, the cost/benefit ratio measures the immediate success of a behavior.
Costs include energy expenditure or—more severely—the loss of life. Benefits include
increased energy intake or survivorship of the organism.
! A behavior with a high cost/benefit ratio decreases the organism’s fitness and will not be
selected for. A behavior with a small cost/benefit ratio causes an increase in an organism’s
fitness and will be selected for.

There are cost/benefit ratios associated with

every behavior that determines an organism’s
evolutionary success.
If the cost of a behavior is too high, death can
result.

The cost/benefit ratios of two different

foraging strategies in fish are shown in the
chart on the left. Acquiring large prey is
beneficial in terms of nutrient gain, but it
requires more energy expenditure for capture.
Smaller prey are less costly to catch, but
provide fewer calories.
When members of the same species vie for
limited resources (such as food or a mate),
intraspecific competition may take the form of
agonistic behaviors.
These aggressive behaviors usually do not
program the individual to fight to the death.
The individual postures, instead, thus
preserving the individual’s life. In rare
instances, mate availability is severely limited,
and males will fight to the death for the
opportunity to mate. Such a situation occurs
in some species of ground squirrels.
Certain bird songs are actually territorial
messages to warn other male birds of the
same species.

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 Genetically based behaviors may determine
when birds migrate. Bird 1 on the left
migrates north in March. The early migration
leaves him vulnerable to harsh winter
conditions and insufficient food supply. Bird 2
leaves later and has more stored fat for the
migration. Bird 2 may be successful in
capturing territory from weaker birds.

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Copyright © 2000, Thinkwell Corp., All Rights Reserved. 031600bio304