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

Nicholas B. Davies,John R. Krebs and Stuart A. West

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2025-10-27