TERRITORIALITY AND THE EVOLUTION OF CHARACTER DISPLACEMENT AND SEXUALDIMORPHISM

In this paper we argue that even spacing of the logarithmic diameter o f canine teeth in mustelids and felids as shown by DAYAN et al. (1989a , 1990) may be more likely to result from behaviourally mediated compe tition for space than exploitative competition for prey resources. Fel ids and mustelids have several characteristics in common: a high degre e of carnivory, the use of canines in threat displays, solitary living including intrasexual territories and sexual dimorphism. We model the ecological and evolutionary divergence of a character that is associa ted with territory defence such as canine size. We show that an assump tion of size-dependent territorial aggressiveness can lead both to cha racter divergence and to sexual dimorphism.