An Introduction to Behavioural Ecology

An Introduction to Behavioural Ecology PDF Author: Nicholas B. Davies
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444314025
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 438

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Book Description
The third edition of this successful textbook looks again at the influence of natural selection on behavior - an animal's struggle to survive by exploiting resources, avoiding predators, and maximizing reproductive success. In this edition, new examples are introduced throughout, many illustrated with full color photographs. In addition, important new topics are added including the latest techniques of comparative analysis, the theory and application of DNA fingerprinting techniques, extensive new discussion on brood parasite/host coevolution, the latest ideas on sexual selection in relation to disease resistance, and a new section on the intentionality of communication. Written in the lucid style for which these two authors are renowned, the text is enhanced by boxed sections illustrating important concepts and new marginal notes that guide the reader through the text. This book will be essential reading for students taking courses in behavioral ecology. The leading introductory text from the two most prominent workers in the field. Second colour in the text. New section of four colour plates. Boxed sections to ilustrate difficult and important points. New larger format with marginal notes to guide the reader through the text. Selected further reading at the end of each chapter.

An Introduction to Behavioural Ecology

An Introduction to Behavioural Ecology PDF Author: Nicholas B. Davies
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444314025
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 438

Get Book Here

Book Description
The third edition of this successful textbook looks again at the influence of natural selection on behavior - an animal's struggle to survive by exploiting resources, avoiding predators, and maximizing reproductive success. In this edition, new examples are introduced throughout, many illustrated with full color photographs. In addition, important new topics are added including the latest techniques of comparative analysis, the theory and application of DNA fingerprinting techniques, extensive new discussion on brood parasite/host coevolution, the latest ideas on sexual selection in relation to disease resistance, and a new section on the intentionality of communication. Written in the lucid style for which these two authors are renowned, the text is enhanced by boxed sections illustrating important concepts and new marginal notes that guide the reader through the text. This book will be essential reading for students taking courses in behavioral ecology. The leading introductory text from the two most prominent workers in the field. Second colour in the text. New section of four colour plates. Boxed sections to ilustrate difficult and important points. New larger format with marginal notes to guide the reader through the text. Selected further reading at the end of each chapter.

The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians

The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians PDF Author: Kentwood D. Wells
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226893332
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1162

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Book Description
Consisting of more than six thousand species, amphibians are more diverse than mammals and are found on every continent save Antarctica. Despite the abundance and diversity of these animals, many aspects of the biology of amphibians remain unstudied or misunderstood. The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians aims to fill this gap in the literature on this remarkable taxon. It is a celebration of the diversity of amphibian life and the ecological and behavioral adaptations that have made it a successful component of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Synthesizing seventy years of research on amphibian biology, Kentwood D. Wells addresses all major areas of inquiry, including phylogeny, classification, and morphology; aspects of physiological ecology such as water and temperature relations, respiration, metabolism, and energetics; movements and orientation; communication and social behavior; reproduction and parental care; ecology and behavior of amphibian larvae and ecological aspects of metamorphosis; ecological impact of predation on amphibian populations and antipredator defenses; and aspects of amphibian community ecology. With an eye towards modern concerns, The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians concludes with a chapter devoted to amphibian conservation. An unprecedented scholarly contribution to amphibian biology, this book is eagerly anticipated among specialists.

Dynamic Modeling in Behavioral Ecology

Dynamic Modeling in Behavioral Ecology PDF Author: Marc Mangel
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691085067
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
This book describes a powerful and flexible technique for the modeling of behavior, based on evolutionary principles. The technique employs stochastic dynamic programming and permits the analysis of behavioral adaptations wherein organisms respond to changes in their environment and in their own current physiological state. Models can be constructed to reflect sequential decisions concerned simultaneously with foraging, reproduction, predator avoidance, and other activities. The authors show how to construct and use dynamic behavioral models. Part I covers the mathematical background and computer programming, and then uses a paradigm of foraging under risk of predation to exemplify the general modeling technique. Part II consists of five "applied" chapters illustrating the scope of the dynamic modeling approach. They treat hunting behavior in lions, reproduction in insects, migrations of aquatic organisms, clutch size and parental care in birds, and movement of spiders and raptors. Advanced topics, including the study of dynamic evolutionarily stable strategies, are discussed in Part III.

Evolutionary Behavioral Ecology

Evolutionary Behavioral Ecology PDF Author: David Westneat
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0195331931
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 661

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Book Description
Evolutionary Behavioral Ecology presents a comprehensive treatment of theevolutionary and ecological processes shaping behavior across a wide array of organisms and a diverse set of behaviors and is suitable as a graduate-level text and as a sourcebook for professional scientists.

Foraging

Foraging PDF Author: David W. Stephens
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226772659
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 626

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Book Description
Foraging is fundamental to animal survival and reproduction, yet it is much more than a simple matter of finding food; it is a biological imperative. Animals must find and consume resources to succeed, and they make extraordinary efforts to do so. For instance, pythons rarely eat, but when they do, their meals are large—as much as 60 percent larger than their own bodies. The snake’s digestive system is normally dormant, but during digestion metabolic rates can increase fortyfold. A python digesting quietly on the forest floor has the metabolic rate of thoroughbred in a dead heat. This and related foraging processes have broad applications in ecology, cognitive science, anthropology, and conservation biology—and they can be further extrapolated in economics, neurobiology, and computer science. Foraging is the first comprehensive review of the topic in more than twenty years. A monumental undertaking, this volume brings together twenty-two experts from throughout the field to offer the latest on the mechanics of foraging, modern foraging theory, and foraging ecology. The fourteen essays cover all the relevant issues, including cognition, individual behavior, caching behavior, parental behavior, antipredator behavior, social behavior, population and community ecology, herbivory, and conservation. Considering a wide range of taxa, from birds to mammals to amphibians, Foraging will be the definitive guide to the field.

The Behavior and Ecology of Pacific Salmon and Trout

The Behavior and Ecology of Pacific Salmon and Trout PDF Author: Thomas P. Quinn
Publisher: UBC Press
ISBN: 0774842431
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 392

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Book Description
The Behavior and Ecology of Pacific Salmon and Trout explains the patterns of mate choice, the competition for nest sites, and the fate of the salmon after their death. It describes the lives of offspring during the months they spend incubating in gravel, growing in fresh water, and migrating out to sea to mature. This thorough, up-to-date survey should be on the shelf of everyone with a professional or personal interest in Pacific salmon and trout. Written in a technically accurate but engaging style, it will appeal to a wide range of readers, including students, anglers, biologists, conservationists, legislators, and armchair naturalists.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches PDF Author: William J. Bell
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 0801891752
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 781

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Book Description
The essential volume on the biology and behavior of these remarkable insects. “This transformative work will be an inspiration to students of entomology.” —Choice The cockroach is truly an evolutionary wonder. This definitive volume provides a complete overview of suborder Blattaria, highlighting the diversity of these amazing insects in their natural environments. Beginning with a foreword by Edward O. Wilson, the book explores the fascinating natural history and behavior of cockroaches, describing their various colors, sizes, and shapes, as well as how they move on land, in water, and through the air. In addition to habitat use, diet, reproduction, and behavior, Cockroaches covers aspects of cockroach biology, such as the relationship between cockroaches and microbes, termites as social cockroaches, and the ecological impact of the suborder. With over 100 illustrations, an expanded glossary, and an invaluable set of references, this work is destined to become the classic book on the Blattaria. Students and research entomologists can mine each chapter for new ideas, new perspectives, and new directions for future study. “Well-written . . . visually attractive . . . This book is much needed to educate biologists about the fascinating biology and diversity of cockroaches.” —Integrative and Comparative Biology “A must-have for any insect hobbyest.” —Allpet Roaches Forum “This contribution is an important source of information on cockroach natural history and diversity.” —The Quarterly Review of Biology “Suitable for researchers, students, and naturalists, chapters are topical, exploring the diversity of cockroaches.” —Southeastern Naturalist

Primate Behavioral Ecology

Primate Behavioral Ecology PDF Author: Karen B. Strier
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317345207
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 409

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Book Description
Primate Behavioral Ecology, described as “an engaging, cutting-edge exposition,” incorporates exciting new discoveries and the most up-to-date approaches in its introduction to the field and its applications of behavioral ecology to primate conservation. This unique, comprehensive, single-authored text integrates the basics of evolutionary, ecological, and demographic perspectives with contemporary noninvasive molecular and hormonal techniques to understand how different primates behave and the significance of these insights for primate conservation. Examples are drawn from the “classic” primate field studies and more recent studies on previously neglected species from across the primate order, illustrating the vast behavioral variation that we now know exists and the gaps in our knowledge that future studies will fill.

Behavioral Mechanisms in Evolutionary Ecology

Behavioral Mechanisms in Evolutionary Ecology PDF Author: Leslie Real
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 9780226705958
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 484

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Book Description
The first book-length exploration of behavioral mechanisms in evolutionary ecology, this ambitious volume illuminates long-standing questions about cause-and-effect relations between an animal's behavior and its environment. By focusing on biological mechanisms—the sum of an animal's cognitive, neural, developmental, and hormonal processes—leading researchers demonstrate how the integrated study of animal physiology, cognitive processes, and social interaction can yield an enriched understanding of behavior. With studies of species ranging from insects to primates, the contributors examine how various animals identify and use environmental resources and deal with ecological constraints, as well as the roles of learning, communication, and cognitive aspects of social interaction in behavioral evolution. Taken together, the chapters demonstrate how the study of internal mechanistic foundations of behavior in relation to their ecological and evolutionary contexts and outcomes provides valuable insight into such behaviors as predation, mating, and dispersal. Behavioral Mechanisms in Evolutionary Ecology shows how a mechanistic approach unites various levels of biological organization to provide a broader understanding of the biological bases of behavioral evolution.

Evolutionary Ecology and Human Behavior

Evolutionary Ecology and Human Behavior PDF Author: Eric Alden Smith
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351521314
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 511

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Book Description
""à required reading for anyone interested in the economy, ecology, and demography of human societies."" --American Journal of Human Biology ""This excellent book can serve both as a text¼book and as a scholarly reference."" --American Scientist