Volatile chemical emission as a weapon of rearguard action: a game-theoretic model of contest behavior

Mesterton-Gibbons, Mike; Dai, Yao; Goubault, Marlene; Hardy, Ian C.W.

Abstract

We use a game-theoretic model to explore whether volatile chemical (spiroacetal) emissions can serve as a weapon of rearguard action. Our basic model explores whether such emissions serve as a means of temporary withdrawal, preventing the winner of the current round of a contest from translating its victory into permanent possession of a contested resource. A variant of this model explores an alternative possibility, namely, that such emissions serve as a means of permanent retreat, attempting to prevent a winner from inflicting costs on a fleeing loser. Our results confirm that the underlying logic of either interpretation of weapons of rearguard action is sound; however, empirical observations on parasitoid wasp contests suggest that the more likely function of chemical weapons is to serve as a means of temporary withdrawal. While our work is centered around the particular biology of contest behavior in parasitoid wasps, it also provides the first contest model to explicitly consider self-inflicted damage costs, and thus responds to a recent call by empiricists for theory in this area.

Citation

Mesterton-Gibbons, M., Dai, Y., Goubault, M., & Hardy, I. C. (2017). Volatile chemical emission as a weapon of rearguard action: a game-theoretic model of contest behavior. Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 79(11), 2413–2449. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-017-0335-9

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 18, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Sep 5, 2017
• Publication Date: 2017-11
• Deposit Date: Sep 1, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 6, 2018
• Journal: Bulletin of Mathematical Biology
• Print ISSN: 0092-8240
• Electronic ISSN: 0092-8240
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 79
• Issue: 11
• Pages: 2413–2449
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-017-0335-9
• Keywords: spiroacetal ; Goniozus ; self-inflicted damage
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/880900
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11538-017-0335-9