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Skilful fighting encompasses an individual's ability not only to perform agonistic behaviours accurately and efficiently, but also to choose the most appropriate behaviour or tactic from its repertoire based on the information available. The efficacy of different tactics may depend both on the behaviour of the opponent and on the individual's internal state, for example a specific behaviour may become less effective over time as fatigue sets in. Furthermore, because fights are dynamic interactions, the ability to choose the appropriate tactic will require rapid information processing and may thus be constrained by an individual's cognitive ability. Here, we conducted a three-phase experiment to investigate the effects of reduced performance capacity induced by exposure to hypoxia and decision-making speed on skilful fighting in the European hermit crab, Pagurus bernhardus. During fights attackers attempt to elicit an eviction either by rapping on the defender's shell or by rocking the defender's shell back and forth. By analysing the effect of exposure to hypoxia and decision-making speed on the relative use of these tactics, we show that contrary to our prediction, neither performance capacity nor decision-making speed alone predicted the type of behaviour performed. Rather, these two traits interacted to determine the amount of effort (raps and rocks) attackers needed to exert to elicit an eviction. Furthermore, we show that while neither performance capacity nor decision-making speed predicted skill when fights were analysed as a whole, the effects of these variables became apparent when analysing the change in accuracy as fights progressed, likely due to the accumulating effects of fatigue. • The performance of agonistic behaviours varies in terms of vigour and skill. • Vigour is linked to energetic status, but the underpinnings of skill are unknown. • We explore the effects of performance capacity and decision-making speed on skill. • We measure two aspects of skill, accuracy and appropriateness (choice of tactics). • We find that performance capacity and decision-making speed impact skill over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skill, the ability to perform a challenging behaviour well, has been shown to be an important determinant of success in a variety of contexts, including human sports, animal courtship and, most recently, animal contests. Because skilful movement requires precise motor control, skill is assumed to be underpinned by traits that determine these abilities. However, while these traits determine an individual's potential to perform effective movements (known as technique), this potential may not translate into skilful fighting due to interference from the opponent. Here, we investigated the relationship between technique and skill using the European hermit crab, Pagurus bernhardus. By examining the spatial distribution of shell raps, we found that, on average, technique exhibited during a 'training' fight predicted the level of skill displayed in a real contest. However, our results also demonstrated substantial among-individual variation in the direction of change across the two fights, with some individuals exhibiting better technique than skill and others showing the opposite pattern. Finally, we found that winners, but not losers, progressively adapted their targeting of strikes when faced with a fully functional opponent. Our results indicate that skill is a combination of innate technique and the ability to adapt to an opponent's behaviour. • Skill has recently been shown to be a key determinant of fighting success. • Skill is assumed to rely on innate capacities for motor control (technique). • But opponent interference may impede an individual's ability to perform skilfully. • Here we show that innate technique is indicative of the ability to fight skilfully. • We also find that skilful fighting relies on the ability to adapt to your opponent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whenever resources are limited and indivisible, fighting will evolve as a means to resolve ownership. Among such resources are mates, and individuals (usually males) of many species compete agonistically with rivals in order to gain access to potential mates. However, securing access is not necessarily enough to guarantee a mating or, if a mating is obtained, to guarantee that it is effective for securing reproductive success. Thus, in addition to fighting, individuals participate in a wealth of behaviours to maximize their reproductive success, from courtship to sperm competition to mate guarding. In recent years, the striking parallels between fighting and mating behaviour have become a subject of discussion. In particular, insights have been drawn from the predictions of contest theory to help us understand the use of repetitive signalling in courtship. Here, we take this discussion further, highlighting similarities between fighting and mating in the use of dynamic repeated behaviours, which function to (1) advertise quality and (2) convince or coerce an individual to relinquish the contested resource (gametes in terms of mating). We focus specifically on a performance trait of emerging interest in the field of animal contests, skill. We identify behaviours used throughout the mating process in which skill is likely to be of importance for securing success, and highlight key questions for future study. • Fighting and mating both involve the performance of repeated behaviours. • Performance rate (vigour) and skill are of known importance for fighting success. • Here, we discuss the possible role of skill in determining mating success. • We highlight functional similarities between fighting and mating behaviours. • We then identify mating behaviours for which a role for skill is strongly implied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the determinants of fighting ability (or resource-holding potential, RHP) is key to elucidating the evolution of aggressive behaviour, as current tests of contest theory rely on realistic proxies for overall RHP. Traditionally, RHP is considered equivalent to body size but it is increasingly clear that a wider range of morphological and physiological traits contribute to fighting ability. In situations analogous to contests, such as courtship displays in animals and competitive sport in humans, the role of skill has long been appreciated but this component has been neglected in analyses of animal fights. Here, we investigated two spatial components of skill, accuracy and precision, during shell fights in hermit crabs, where an attacker repeatedly strikes (raps) its shell against that of a defender. By analysing the points of impact of these strikes, we found that attackers that rapped with coarse-scale accuracy were more likely to win the fight, indicating that the ability to target a 'sweet spot' on the defender's shell is an important determinant of contest success. Furthermore, we found that this element of skill correlated with temporal performance (vigour). Taken together these results show that spatial skill is an RHP component. Moreover, in contrast to the traditional assumption that fighting ability is equivalent to body size, RHP is actually underpinned by a suite of interlinked traits including performance capacities, morphology and skill. • Fighting often involves the repeated performance of agonistic behaviours. • Individuals may vary in how skilfully they perform such behaviours. • We investigate the link between spatial skill and fighting success in hermit crabs. • We find that winners perform rapping behaviour more skilfully than losers. • Our results indicate that skill is tightly correlated with other fighting traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What attributes make some individuals more likely to win a fight than others? A range of morphological and physiological traits have been studied intensely but far less focus has been placed on the actual agonistic behaviours used. Current studies of agonistic behaviour focus on contest duration and the vigour of fighting. It also seems obvious that individuals that fight more skilfully should have a greater chance of winning a fight. Here, we discuss the meaning of skill in animal fights. As the activities of each opponent can be disrupted by the behaviour of their rival, we differentiate among ability, technique and skill itself. In addition to efficient, accurate and sometimes precise movement, skilful fighting also requires rapid decision-making, so that appropriate tactics and strategies are selected. We consider how these different components of skill could be acquired, through genes, experiences of play-fighting and of real fights. Skilful fighting can enhance resource holding potential (RHP) by allowing for sustained vigour, by inflicting greater costs on opponents and by minimizing the chance of damage. Therefore, we argue that skill is a neglected but important component of RHP that could be readily studied to provide new insights into the evolution of agonistic behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]