On the sociobiology of hawks and doves - A phase diagram for integration and segregation

Competing groups in a population will be integrated or segregated depending on their contest strategies. In this work a population of a fixed proportion of hawks and doves is suppo sed to be able to employ two different contest strategies, one more competi tive than the other one. Energies are derived for populations employing the se strategies and these energies depend on the availability of the resource for which hawks and doves compete. The energy for the less competitive strategy is lower than the other one wh en the resource is abundant. In that case hawks and doves can be in cohabit ation in all proportions. If, however, the resource is scarce, the energy o f the more competitive strategy is lower than the other one. In that case c omplete segregation of hawks and doves into colonies will result. The situation is akin to the phase pressure diagram of a binary solution wi th eutectic point, miscibility gap in the liquid phase and complete miscibi lity in the vapour phase.