Variation between species, populations, groups and individuals in the fitness consequences of outgroup conflict

Amy Morris-Drake, Patrick Kennedy, Ines Braga Goncalves, Andrew N Radford*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)
75 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Out-group conflict is rife in the natural world, occurring from primates to ants. Traditionally, research on this aspect of sociality has focused on the interactions between groups and their conspecific rivals, investigating contest function and characteristics, which group members participate and what determines who wins. In recent years, however, there has been increasing interest in the consequences of out-group conflict. In this review, we first set the scene by outlining the fitness consequences that can arise immediately to contest participants, as well as a broader range of delayed, cumulative and third-party effects of out-group conflict on survival and reproductive success. For the majority of the review, we then focus on variation in these fitness consequences of out-group conflict, describing known examples both between species and between populations, groups and individuals of the same species. Throughout, we suggest possible reasons for the variation, provide examples from a diverse array of taxa, and suggest what is needed to advance this burgeoning area of social evolution.
Original languageEnglish
Article number20210148
Pages (from-to)1-13
Number of pages13
JournalPhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences
Volume377
Issue number1851
Early online date4 Apr 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 May 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
All authors were supported by a European Research Council Consolidator Grant (project no. 682253) awarded to A.N.R. Acknowledgements

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Royal Society Publishing. All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • conspecific rivals
  • group living
  • mortality
  • outgroup conflict
  • reproductive consequences
  • social conflict

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