Behaviour and Evolution (Course SD206: Biology - Brain & Behaviour) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0749250542 ISBN 13: 9780749250546

Publisher: Open University Worldwide, 1993

Synopsis

Some of the most exciting recent advances in animal behaviour have occurred at the interface between that subject and the study of evolution. This book, written by experts in this area, illustrates how the profound changes in our understanding of evolution have influenced behavioural research. Its chapters span both studies of how behaviour itself has evolved, dealing with topics such as comparative studies, the genetics of behaviour, speciation and the evolution of sociality and of intelligence, and also the adaptiveness which this evolution has brought about, with treatment of mating and fighting strategies, and theories of kinship and altruism.Behaviour and Evolution will be invaluable to senior undergraduate and graduate students of biology and psychology, especially those studying animal behaviour, behavioural ecology, sociobiology, evolution, ecology and environmental biology.

About this title

Review

'The editors and contributors ... have lucidly and interestingly represented current work and ideas in this core area of biology and psychology. This text presents clearly a rich sampling of both the details of animal behavior and analyses of its evolutionary processes and patterns ... a lucid presentation such as this can illuminate the entire field.' R. Goldthwaite, Systems Research and Behavioral Science

From the Back Cover

This book, part of a series from The Open University in the United Kingdom, is about animal behaviour. The behaviour of animals, including humans, is very diverse and often very complex. Studying behaviour draws on the work of scientists from several disciplines, including ethologists, psychologists, physiologists and biochemists. The question that most of them are interested in answering is: why does an animal behave in the way it does? The possible answers, development, survival value, evolutionary history or cause-and-effect are the themes that run through this introduction to behaviour and evolution, the four explantations of behaviour.

Edition details

• Publisher: Open University Worldwide
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0749250542
• ISBN 13: 9780749250546
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 308
• Editor: Hall M., Halliday Tim