The Evolution Of Sibling Rivalry (Oxford Series In Ecology And Evolution) - Softcover

Mock, Douglas W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0198577443 ISBN 13: 9780198577447

Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A., 1998

Synopsis

One of the main tenets of evolutionary biology is that organisms behave so as to maximize the number of genes that will be passed on to future generations. This leads to one of two effects: parental attention and altruistic behavior; or parents producing more offspring than they will likely raise. The latter instance further leads to acute competitions, frequently leading to deprivations and even death. This book details the theory, field experiments, and natural history of sibling rivalry across a broad sweep of animals and plants. The variety of information will appeal to both academics and a broad natural history readership. In fact, most readers will relate, having all been children and most siblings or parents.

About this title

Synopsis

One of the main tenets of evolutionary biology is that organisms behave so as to maximize the number of their genes that will be passed on to future generations. Parents often produce more offspring than they can rear in case special opportunities or calamities occur. This frequently leads to deprivations and even death of some offspring. This book is about the evolutionary diversity, importance, and consequences of such squeezes. The authors, experts in their field, review the theory, field experiments, and natural history of sibling rivalry across a broad sweep of organisms, in a clear and accessible style that should appeal to both academics and natural historians.

About the Author

Douglas Mock is at Univerisity of Oklahoma. Geoffrey Parker is at University of Liverpool.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A.
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0198577443
• ISBN 13: 9780198577447
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 480