The selfish herd theory states that individuals within a population attempt to reduce their predation risk by putting other conspecifics between themselves and predators.[1] A key element in the theory is the domain of danger, the area of ground in which every point is nearer to a particular individual than to any other individual. Such antipredator behavior inevitably results in aggregations. The theory was proposed by W. D. Hamilton in 1971 to explain the gregarious behavior of a variety of animals.[1] It contrasted the popular hypothesis that evolution of such social behavior was based on mutual benefits to the population.[1]
The basic principle governing selfish herd theory is that in aggregations, predation risk is greatest on the periphery and decreases toward the center.[1] More dominant animals within the population are proposed to obtain low-risk central positions, whereas subordinate animals are forced into higher risk positions.[2] The hypothesis has been used to explain why populations at higher predation risk often form larger, more compact groups.[3] It may also explain why these aggregations are often sorted by phenotypic characteristics such as strength.[4]
^ abcdHamilton, W.D. (1971). "Geometry for the Selfish Herd". Journal of Theoretical Biology. 31 (2): 295–311. Bibcode:1971JThBi..31..295H. doi:10.1016/0022-5193(71)90189-5. PMID 5104951.
^Eshel, Ilan; Sansone, Emilia; Shaked, Avner (2011). "On the evolution of group-escape strategies of selfish prey". Theoretical Population Biology. 80 (2h): 150–157. doi:10.1016/j.tpb.2011.06.005. PMID 21712051.
^Morrell, L. J.; Ruxton, G. D.; James, R. (2010). "Spatial positioning in the selfish herd". Behavioral Ecology. 22 (1): 16–22. doi:10.1093/beheco/arq157.
^Croft, D.P.; Darden, S.K.; Ruxton, G.D. (2009). "Predation risk as a driving force for phenotypic assortment: a cross-population comparison". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 276 (1663): 1899–1904. doi:10.1098/rspb.2008.1928. PMC 2674500. PMID 19324770.
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