Behavioural Ecology

Why are some species monogamous while others are polygamous? Why are males usually more ornamented than females? What makes one organism the hunter and another the hunted? Why do some creatures stick together in groups while others prefer to go it alone? Can we talk of animal culture? Behavioural Ecology provides a fascinating insight into the evolutionary and ecological processes that underpin animal behaviour. Opening with an overview of the evolutionary and methodological framework of behavioural ecology, the book goes on to explore behaviours in terms of the selective pressures involved in their design. It addresses natural selection, sexual selection, and gene selection, before closing with an investigation of the human impact on behavioural ecology. Featuring chapters written by university teachers, each with research expertise in their respective fields, Behavioural Ecology has been moulded by Danchin, Giraldeau, and Cezilly to give a uniform voice throughout: it is a text with all the qualities of a multi-author book, but without the potential drawbacks. Behavioural Ecology offers a fresh, contemporary account of a field re-invigorated by advances in the last decade, making it the ideal teaching and learning text. Online Resource Centre: For registered adopters of the book: -Figures from the book available to download, to facilitate lecture preparation For students: -Library of web links, giving ready access to additional resources

Introduction. PART ONE: The Behavioural Ecology Approach. 1. A History of Behavioural Ecology. 2. Fundamental Concepts in Behavioural Ecology. 3. Research Methods in Behavioural Ecology. 4. An Information-Driven Approach to Behaviour. PART TWO: The Development of the Behavioural Phenotype. 5. Life History Strategies, Multidimensional Trade-offs and Behavioural Syndromes. 6. Hormones and Behaviour. PART THREE: Exploiting the Environment. 7. Solitary Foraging Strategies. 8. Social Foraging. 9. Choosing Where to Breed: Breeding Habitat Selection. 10. Evolution of Dispersal. PART FOUR: Sex and Behaviour. 11. Sexual Selection: Another Evolutionary Process. 12. Mating Systems and Parental Care. 13. Sex Allocation. PART FIVE: Social Interactions Among Individuals. 14. Animal Aggregations: Hypotheses and Controversies. 15. The Adaptive Evolution of Social Traits. 16. Communication, Sensory Ecology and Signal Evolution. 17. Interspecific Parasitism and Mutualism. PART SIX: Humans and Animals. 18. Behavioural Ecology and Conservation. 19. The Behavioural Ecology and Humans. 20. Cultural Evolution. Glossary. List of References. Index of Species. General Index.

Étienne Danchin is a lecturer in the Evolution and Biological Diversity Group at the Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France. ; Luc-Alain Giraldeau is a professor in the Department of Biological Science at the Universite du Quebec in Montreal, Canada.; Frank Cézilly is a professor in the Life Sciences Department at the Universite de Bourgogne, France.