Behavioural Ecology : An Evolutionary Perspective on Behaviour

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 molded by Danchin, Giraldeau, and Cezilly to be consistent while exhibiting the qualities of a multi-author book. 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.

Etienne 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.