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Nature 432, 160-162 (11 November 2004) | doi:10.1038/432160b; Published online 10 November 2004

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Animal behaviour:  Rank crime and punishment

Joan E. Strassmann1

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In paper wasps, facial markings are cheap 'status badges' that would seem to be susceptible to cheating. But wasps punish those whose markings lie. Social competition is, it appears, a strong selective force.

'Badges of status' are markings that animals are thought to use to signal their size and dominance — they are indicators of rank. To be useful, however, they must be 'honest' indicators; a symbol of high rank cannot be adopted by a low-quality individual.

  1. Joan E. Strassmann is in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77251-1892, USA.
    e-mail: Email: strassm@rice.edu

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