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Preceded by: An introduction to behavioural ecology / J.R. Krebs, N.B. Davies. 3rd ed. c1993.
In the early years of this century a Scottish doctor speculated on the evolutionary origin of human tears. It seemed to him that with the increase in brain size and cognitive powers of our early ancestors many events in the struggle for existence would be just too distressing to observe. How comforting then, for the mother, distraught by the sight of her child being devoured by a lion, to cloud her vision with a flood of tears! Just so, though if the good doctor had pondered further, the following picture might have occurred to him, comfortable in his speculative armchair, and given him some pause for thought. ~ ~. e , ~ ~ ~' I " . . ~. . - . . . . . ~ VII viii SERIES EDITOR'S FOREWORD These stories do not, of course, get us very far in explaining the evolution of tears or anything else, but they do remind us how far the study of beha vioural adaptation has come this century. This is, in fact, an exciting time for students of behaviour. The last twenty years have seen a great advance in the theoretical armoury for tackling problems of behavioural evolution and adaptation, and a parallel expansion in empirical studies, particularly in the field. The concepts of inclusive fitness and evolutionary stability, for example, have helped to explain major features of social behaviour and have generated entirely new questions and predictions for the field worker to examine.
Intended for graduate and upper level undergraduate courses inbehavioural ecology where students are already familiar with thebasic ideas, this book continues to define the subject. Acompletely new set of contributions has been brought together oncemore to take account of the many exciting new developments in thefield. Each chapter presents a balanced view of the subject,integrating a clear exposition of the theory with a criticaldiscussion of how predictions have been tested by experiments andcomparative studies. In addition, the book points to unreconciledissues and possible future developments. Edited by two of the mosthighly regarded experts in the field, this new volume containscontributions from an international authorship and continues thetradition of clarity and accessibility established by the threeprevious editions. The latest edition of a classic in behavioural ecology. Divided into three sections: Mechanisms and IndividualBehaviour, From Individual Behaviour to Social Systems, and LifeHistories, Phylogenies and Populations. Contributions from the world's leading researchers.
Because carnivores are at the top of the food chain, their status is an important indicator of the health of the world ecosystem. They are intensely interesting to zoologists and uniquely intriguing to the general public. Devoted primarily to terrestrial carnivores, this volume focuses on such themes as carnivore reintroduction programs and the ethics of studying carnivores, drawing examples from a variety of species. The need to evaluate new conceptual ideas and empirical data inspired this volume of Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution, a complement to the original book. In the eight years since publication of the first volume, conservation has emerged as a thematic imperative. The study of carnivores has become even more important in raising and resolving crucial biological problems. Differential rates of mortality in the giant panda and other endangered carnivores are now known to influence dispersal and life history patterns basic to these species' survival. Reintroduction efforts of the black-footed ferret and the red wolf are establishing essential guidelines for preservation and management of endangered species. Studies of the African lion and the dwarf mongoose illustrate the power of new genetic techniques of DNA fingerprinting for understanding the evolution of social behavior.
This comprehensive introductory text integrates evolutionary, ecological, and demographic perspectives with new results from field studies and contemporary noninvasive molecular and hormonal techniques to understand how different primates behave and the significance of these insights for primate conservation. Each chapter is organized around the major research themes in the field, with Strier emphasizing the interplay between theory, observations, and conservation issues. Examples are drawn from the "classic" primate field studies as well as more recent studies, including many previously neglected species, to illustrate the vast behavioral variation that exists across the primate order. Primate Behavioral Ecology 6th Edition integrates the impacts of anthropogenic activities on primate populations, including zoonotic disease and climate change, and considers the importance of behavioral flexibility for primate conservation. This fully updated new edition brings exciting new methods, theoretical perspectives, and discoveries together to provide an incomparable overview of the field of primate behavioral ecology and its applications to primate conservation. It is considered to be a "must read" for all students interested in primates.
Statistical Methods for Field and Laboratory Studies in Behavioral Ecology focuses on how statistical methods may be used to make sense of behavioral ecology and other data. It presents fundamental concepts in statistical inference and intermediate topics such as multiple least squares regression and ANOVA. The objective is to teach students to recognize situations where various statistical methods should be used, understand the strengths and limitations of the methods, and to show how they are implemented in R code. Examples are based on research described in the literature of behavioral ecology, with data sets and analysis code provided. Features: This intermediate to advanced statistical methods text was written with the behavioral ecologist in mind Computer programs are provided, written in the R language. Datasets are also provided, mostly based, at least to some degree, on real studies. Methods and ideas discussed include multiple regression and ANOVA, logistic and Poisson regression, machine learning and model identification, time-to-event modeling, time series and stochastic modeling, game-theoretic modeling, multivariate methods, study design/sample size, and what to do when things go wrong. It is assumed that the reader has already had exposure to statistics through a first introductory course at least, and also has sufficient knowledge of R. However, some introductory material is included to aid the less initiated reader. Scott Pardo, Ph.D., is an accredited professional statistician (PStat®) by the American Statistical Association. Michael Pardo is a Ph.D. is a candidate in behavioral ecology at Cornell University, specializing in animal communication and social behavior.
A key way that behavioral ecologists develop general theories of animal behavior is by studying one species or a closely related group of species--''model systems''--over a long period. This book brings together some of the field's most respected researchers to describe why they chose their systems, how they integrate theoretical, conceptual, and empirical work, lessons for the practice of the discipline, and potential avenues of future research. Their model systems encompass a wide range of animals and behavioral issues, from dung flies to sticklebacks, dolphins to African wild dogs, from foraging to aggression, territoriality to reproductive suppression. Model Systems in Behavioral Ecology offers an unprecedented ''systems'' focus and revealing insights into the confluence of personal curiosity and scientific inquiry. It will be an invaluable text for behavioral ecology courses and a helpful overview--and a preview of coming developments--for advanced researchers. The twenty-five chapters are divided into four sections: insects and arachnids, amphibians and reptiles, birds, and mammals. In addition to the editor, the contributors include Geoff A. Parker, Thomas D. Seeley, Naomi Pierce, Kern Reeve, Gerald S. Wilkinson, Bert Hölldobler and Flavio Roces, George W. Uetz, Michael J. Ryan and Gil Rosenthal, Judy Stamps, H. Carl Gerhardt, Barry Sinervo, Robert Warner, Manfred Milinski, David F. Westneat, Alan C. Kamil and Alan B. Bond, Paul Sherman, Jerram L. Brown, Anders Pape Møller, Marc Bekoff, Richard C. Connor, Joan B. Silk, Christopher Boesch, Scott Creel, A.H. Harcourt, and Tim Caro and M. J. Kelly.
Recently, the 50th anniversary of the publication of Animal Behaviour has passed. To mark the occasion, a group of prominent behaviourists have written essays relevant to their fields. These essays provide a glimpse of the study of behaviour looking in all directions. History and future aside, it is imperative to broadcast this information from the perspective of the behaviourists who have helped shape both the past and the future. It is important for any field to be both retrospective and prospective: where have we been, where are we going, where are we now? These essays provide a unique personal reflection on the history of animal behaviour from John Alcock, Stuart and Jeanne Altmann, Steve Arnold, Geoff Parker, and Felicity Huntingford. Six topics are reflected on and include: The History of Animal Behavioural Research, Proximate Mechanisms, Development, Adaptation, and Animal Welfare. - Broad range of essays on animal behaviour - Written by leaders in the field - Offers a history of the study of behaviour plus essays on the future of behavioural studies - Contains over 30 full color illustrations - Includes essays on development, mechanisms and adaptive significance of behaviour
This book concentrates on the marine mammalian group of Odontocetes, the toothed whales, dolphins, and porpoises. In 23 chapters, a total of 40 authors describe general patterns of ethological concepts of odontocetes in their natural environments, with a strong bent towards behavioral ecology. Examples are given of particularly well-studied species and species groups for which enough data exist, especially from the past 15 years. The aim is to give a modern flavor of present knowledge of ethology and behavior of generally large-brained behaviorally flexible mammals that have evolved quite separately from social mammals on land. As well, the plight of populations and species due to humans is described in multiple chapters, with the goal that an understanding of behavior can help to solve or alleviate at least some human-made problems.
This book is concerned with two problems: how eusociality, in which one individual forgoes reproduction to enhance the reproduction of a nestmate, could evolve under natural selection, and why it is found only in some insects-termites, ants and some bees and wasps. Although eusociality is apparently confined to insects, it has evolved a number of times in a single order of insects, the Hymenoptera. W. Hamilton's hypothesis, that the unusual haplodiploid mechanism of sex determination in the Hymenoptera singled this order out, still seems to have great explanatory power in the study of social ants. We believe that the direction, indeed confinement, of social altruism to close kin is the mainspring of social life in an ant colony, and the alternative explanatory schemes of, for example, parental manipu lation, should rightly be seen to operate within a system based on the selective support of kin. To control the flow of resources within their colony all its members resort to manipulations of their nestmates: parental manipulation of offspring is only one facet of a complex web of manipul ation, exploitation and competition for resources within the colony. The political intrigues extend outside the bounds of the colony, to insects and plants which have mutualistic relations with ants. In eusociality some individuals (sterile workers) do not pass their genes to a new generation directly. Instead, they tend the offspring of a close relation (in the simplest case their mother).