An introduction to behavioural ecology

An Introduction to Behavioural Ecology......Page 5
Contents......Page 7
Preface......Page 12
Acknowledgements......Page 15
Watching and wondering......Page 17
Natural selection......Page 21
Genes and behaviour......Page 22
Selfish individuals or group advantage?......Page 27
Phenotypic plasticity: climate change and breeding times......Page 34
Behaviour, ecology and evolution......Page 37
Further reading......Page 38
Topics for discussion......Page 39
2 Testing Hypotheses in Behavioural Ecology......Page 40
The comparative approach......Page 41
Breeding behaviour of gulls in relation to predation risk......Page 42
Social organization of weaver birds......Page 44
Social organization in African ungulates......Page 46
Limitations of early comparative studies......Page 47
Comparative approach to primate ecology and behaviour......Page 49
Using phylogenies in comparative analysis......Page 53
The comparative approach reviewed......Page 61
Experimental studies of adaptation......Page 62
Summary......Page 65
Further reading......Page 66
Topics for discussion......Page 67
The economics of carrying a load......Page 68
The economics of prey choice......Page 75
Sampling and information......Page 78
The risk of starvation......Page 79
Environmental variability, body reserves and food storing......Page 81
Food storing birds: from behavioural ecology to neuroscience......Page 82
The evolution of cognition......Page 87
Feeding and danger: a trade-off......Page 89
Social learning......Page 91
Optimality models and behaviour: an overview......Page 95
Summary......Page 97
Topics for discussion......Page 98
Red Queen evolution......Page 99
Predators versus cryptic prey......Page 102
Enhancing camouflage......Page 108
Warning colouration: aposematism......Page 111
Mimicry......Page 116
Trade-offs in prey defences......Page 119
Cuckoos versus hosts......Page 121
Summary......Page 129
Topics for discussion......Page 130
The Hawk–Dove game......Page 132
Competition by exploitation: the ideal free distribution......Page 135
The ideal free distribution with unequal competitors......Page 139
The economics of resource defence......Page 142
Producers and scroungers......Page 146
Alternative mating strategies and tactics......Page 147
ESS thinking......Page 158
Animal personalities......Page 159
Summary......Page 160
Further reading......Page 161
Topics for discussion......Page 162
6 Living in Groups......Page 163
How grouping can reduce predation......Page 164
How grouping can improve foraging......Page 175
Evolution of group living: shoaling in guppies......Page 179
Group size and skew......Page 180
Group decision making......Page 185
Further reading......Page 193
Topics for discussion......Page 194
 7 Sexual Selection, Sperm Competition and Sexual Conflict......Page 195
Males and females......Page 196
Parental investment and sexual competition......Page 198
Why do females invest more in offspring care than do males?......Page 200
Evidence for sexual selection......Page 202
Why are females choosy?......Page 205
Genetic benefits from female choice: two hypotheses......Page 210
Testing the hypotheses for genetic benefits......Page 212
Sexual selection in females and male choice......Page 217
Sex differences in competition......Page 220
Sperm competition......Page 221
Constraints on mate choice and extra-pair matings......Page 224
Sexual conflict......Page 225
Sexual conflict: who wins?......Page 232
Chase-away sexual selection......Page 234
Summary......Page 236
Topics for discussion......Page 237
Evolution of parental care......Page 239
Parental investment: a parent’s optimum......Page 243
Varying care in relation to costs and benefits......Page 245
Sexual conflict......Page 248
Sibling rivalry and parent–offspring conflict: theory......Page 254
Sibling rivalry: evidence......Page 256
Parent–offspring conflict: evidence......Page 259
Brood parasites......Page 265
Further reading......Page 268
Topics for discussion......Page 269
Mating systems with no male parental care......Page 270
Mating systems with male parental care......Page 280
A hierarchical approach to mating system diversity......Page 295
Summary......Page 296
Topics for discussion......Page 297
10 Sex Allocation......Page 298
Fisher’s theory of equal investment......Page 301
Sex allocation when relatives interact......Page 302
Sex allocation in variable environments......Page 312
Selfish sex ratio distorters......Page 320
Further reading......Page 321
Topics for discussion......Page 322
11 Social Behaviours: Altruism to Spite......Page 323
Kin selection and inclusive fitness......Page 324
Hamilton’s rule......Page 329
How do individuals recognize kin?......Page 334
Kin selection doesn’t need kin discrimination......Page 338
Selfish restraint and kin selection......Page 341
Spite......Page 343
Summary......Page 347
Further reading......Page 348
Topics for discussion......Page 349
What is cooperation?......Page 350
Free riding and the problem of cooperation......Page 352
Solving the problem of cooperation......Page 353
Kin selection......Page 355
By-product benefit......Page 357
Reciprocity......Page 361
Enforcement......Page 366
A case study – the Seychelles Warbler......Page 370
Manipulation......Page 372
Further reading......Page 374
Topics for discussion......Page 375
The social insects......Page 376
The life cycle and natural history of a social insect......Page 380
The pathway to eusociality......Page 382
The haplodiploidy hypothesis......Page 383
The monogamy hypothesis......Page 387
The ecological benefits of cooperation......Page 391
Conflict over the sex ratio in the social hymenoptera......Page 395
Worker policing in the social hymenoptera......Page 402
Superorganisms......Page 405
Comparison of vertebrates with insects......Page 406
Further reading......Page 408
Topics for discussion......Page 409
14 Communication and Signals......Page 410
The types of communication......Page 411
The problem of signal reliability......Page 412
Indices......Page 413
Handicaps......Page 421
Common interest......Page 427
Human language......Page 432
Dishonest signals......Page 433
Summary......Page 437
Further reading......Page 438
Topics for discussion......Page 439
How plausible are our main premises?......Page 440
Causal and functional explanations......Page 452
A final comment......Page 454
Further reading......Page 457
References......Page 458
Index......Page 505