Evolutionary Genetics Of Invertebrate Behavior

In the preface to Sir Vincent B. Wigglesworth's classic 1939 book on insect physiology he asserted that insects provide an ideal medium in which to study all the problems of physiology. A strong case can be made as well for the use of insects as significant systems for the study of behavior and genetics. Contributions to genetics through decades of research on Drosophila species have made this small fly the most important metazoan in genetics research. At the same time, population and behavioral research on insects and other invertebrates have provid ed new perspectives that can be combined with the genetics approach. Through such in tegrated research we are able to identify evolutionary genetics of behavior as a highly signifi cant emerging area of interest. These perspectives are ably described by Dr. Guy Bush in the introductory chapter of this book. During March 21-24, 1983, many of the world's leading scientists in invertebrate behavioral genetics were drawn together in Gainesville, Florida, for a colloquium entitled "Evolutionary Genetics of Invertebrate Behavior." This conference was sponsored jointly by the Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, chaired by Dr. Daniel Shankland, and the Insect Attractants, Behavior and Basic Biology Research Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, directed then by Dr. Derrell Chambers.

The biological and genetic bases of behavioral diversity have long been topics of study within many disciplines, including evolutionary biology, genetics, ethology, sociobiology, and comparative psychology, but only relatively recently have attempts been made to bring these different approaches together. This volume covers a wide range of interdisciplinary research which uses some of the newest and most promising methods and technologies. Presented here is an overview of findings in the ongoing search for the ultimate causes of behavior in several different species, including primates, dogs, rodents, birds, and fish. Divided into five parts, the work describes research on sexual and kin selection, personality and temperament, molecular genetics of personality, color vision and body coloration, and the neurological underpinnings of complex behaviors. Valuable for researchers as well as graduate students in a wide range of fields from neuroscience to ecology, the book is also useful to those seeking to move beyond the boundaries of their own discipline and to expand their knowledge.

The biological and genetic bases of behavioral diversity have long been topics of study within many disciplines, including evolutionary biology, genetics, ethology, sociobiology, and comparative psychology, but only relatively recently have attempts been made to bring these different approaches together. This volume covers a wide range of interdisciplinary research which uses some of the newest and most promising methods and technologies. Presented here is an overview of findings in the ongoing search for the ultimate causes of behavior in several different species, including primates, dogs, rodents, birds, and fish. Divided into five parts, the work describes research on sexual and kin selection, personality and temperament, molecular genetics of personality, color vision and body coloration, and the neurological underpinnings of complex behaviors. Valuable for researchers as well as graduate students in a wide range of fields from neuroscience to ecology, the book is also useful to those seeking to move beyond the boundaries of their own discipline and to expand their knowledge.

An evolutionary approach to animal behavior. The diversity of behavior. The genetics of behavior. The development of behavior. Nerve cells and behavior. The organization of behavior. The evolution of behavior: historical pathways. The evolution of adaptatioins. The evolution of communication. Finding a place to live. Adaptive feefing behavior. Coping with predators adaptively. Male and female reproductive tactics. The ecology of mating systems. Caring for offspring. The ecology of social behavior. An evolutionary approach to human behavior.

This volume examines a variety of aspects of animal behavior and analyzes the underlying relationship between behavior and evolution. Studying behavior draws upon the work of scientists from a number of disciplines, all seeking to answer the question of why an animal behaves in the way it does. The possible answers to this question development, survival value, evolutionary history, and cause-and-effectare explored in this easy-to-read introduction to behavior and evolution.

First published in 1976. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The study of animal behaviour, particularly from evolutionary and ecological viewpoints, has been one of the major growing points in biology over the last 10 to 15 years. The degree of quantitative rigour in theoretical, observational and experimental approaches to behaviour has increased dramatically. As more of the rapidly growing research literature be comes a basic requirement for students reading animal behaviour at undergraduate level, there is a need for a readily comprehensible text, covering all major aspects of behaviour study, to accom pany their courses. This book, based on my first, second and third year under graduate lectures at the University of No ttingham , is designed to meet that requirement. The book begins with a discussion of the physiological and anatomical bases of behaviour: the relationship between nervous system structure and function and behaviour; hormonal effects on behaviour; biological c1ocks; perceptual mechanisms; and stimulus filtering. This leads to a consideration in Chapter 2 of how the animal integrates internal and external stimuli in making decisions about its behaviour and the way natural selection has shaped decision-making processes and the organisation of motivation. The first two chapters therefore deal with the instigation or causation of behaviour within the animal. Chapters 3 and 4 deal with developmental aspects of behaviour. Chapter 3 discusses behaviour genetics, inc1uding the relationship between specific genes and behaviour, the heritability of behaviour patterns, the site of gene action in the body and the evolutionary consequences of a genetic basis to behaviour.

Studies of animal behavior often assume that all members of a species exhibit the same behavior. Geographic Variation in Behavior shows that, on the contrary, there is substantional variation within species across a wide range of taxa. Including work from pioneers in the field, this volume provides a balanced overview of research on behavioral characteristics that vary geographically. The authors explore the mechanisms by which behavioral differences evolve and examine related methodological issues. Taken together, the work collected here demonstrates that genetically based geographic variation may be far more widespread than previously suspected. The book also shows how variation in behavior can illuminate both behavioral evolution and general evolutionary patterns. Unique among books on behavior in its emphasis on geographic variation, this volume is a valuable new resource for students and researchers in animal behavior and evolutionary biology.