Download or read book The Evolution of Avian Breeding Systems written by J. David Ligon and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ever since Darwin, birds have provided much of the stimulus for the study of evolution and natural selection. This volume in the Oxford Ornithology Series looks at three of the most fascinating aspects of their reproductive biology: sexual selection, parental care, and mating systems. It provides empirical assessments of the main theories of mate choice by females and includes numerous related topics such as the role of sexual selection in speciation. It examines the often extreme sexual dimorphism in plumage and the bewildering array of ornamentation and courtship displays. Although most avian species are socially monogamous, others exhibit polygyny or polyandry of various forms, and the book looks at the effects of these extra-pair copulations on paternity and on the evolution of mating systems. Throughout the book the various theories are illustrated with extensive examples drawn a wide range of species, making it a valuable resource for all ornithologists and student of animal behavior.
Download or read book Ecology and Evolution of Cooperative Breeding in Birds written by Walter D. Koenig and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2004-04-22 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cooperative breeders are species in which more than a pair of individuals assist in the production of young. Cooperative breeding is found in only a few hundred bird species world-wide, and understanding this often strikingly altruistic behaviour has remained an important challenge in behavioural ecology for over 30 years. This book highlights the theoretical, empirical and technical advances that have taken place in the field of cooperative breeding research since the publication of the seminal work Cooperative Breeding in Birds: Long-term Studies of Behavior and Ecology (1990, HB ISBN 0521 372984, PB ISBN 0521 378907). Organized conceptually, special attention is given to ways in which cooperative breeders have proved fertile subjects for testing modern advances to classic evolutionary problems including those of sexual selection, sex-ratio manipulation, life-history evolution, partitioning of reproduction and incest avoidance. It will be of interest to both students and researchers interested in behaviour and ecology.
Download or read book Evolutionary Ecology of Birds written by Head of Biodiversity and Macroecology and Senior Research Fellow Peter M Bennett and published by Oxford University Press on Demand. This book was released on 2002 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Birds show bewildering diversity in their life histories, mating systems and risk of extinction. Why do albatrosses delay reproduction for the first 12 years of their life while zebra finches breed in their first year ? Why are fairy-wrens so sexually promiscuous while swans show lifelongmonogamy? Why are over a quarter of parrot species threatened with global extinction while woodpeckers and cuckoos remain secure? Some of these topics, such as delayed onset of breeding in seabirds, are classic problems in evolutionary ecology, while others have arisen in the last decade, such as genetic mating systems and extinction. Birds offer a unique opportunity for investigating these questions because they areexceptionally well-studied in the wild. By employing phylogenetic comparative methods and a database of up to 3,000 species, the authors identify the ecological and evolutionary basis of many of these intriguing questions. They also highlight remaining puzzles and identify a series of challenges forfuture investigation. This is the most comprehensive reappraisal of avian diversity since David Lack's classic "Ecological Adaptations for Breeding in Birds". It is also the most extensive application of modern comparative methods yet undertaken. This novel approach demonstrates how an evolutionary perspective canreveal the general ecological processes that underpin contemporary avian diversity on a global scale.
Download or read book The Evolution of Avian Mating Systems written by Per Angelstam and published by . This book was released on 1980 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Avian Migration written by Peter Berthold and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 601 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: P. Berthold and E. Gwinnd Bird migration is an intriguing aspect of the living world - so much so that it has been investigated for as long, and as thoroughly, as almost any other natural phenomenon. Aristotle, who can count as the founder of scientific ornithology, paid very close attention to the migrations of the birds he ob served, but it was not until the reign of Friedrich II, in the first half of the 13th century, that reliable data began to be obtained. From then on, the data base grew rapidly. Systematic studies of bird migration were introduced when the Vogelwarte Rossitten was founded, as the first ornithological biological observation station in the world (see first chapter "In Memory of Vogelwarte Rossitten"). This area later received enormous impetus when ex perimental research on the subject was begun: the large-scale bird-ringing experiment initiated in Rossitten in 1903 by Johannes Thienemann (who was inspired by the pioneering studies of C. C. M. Mortensen), the experiments on photoperiodicity carried out by William Rowan in the 1920s in Canada and retention and release experiments performed by Thienemann in the 1930s in Rossitten, the first experimental study on the orientation of migratory birds. After the Second World War, migration research, while continuing in the previous areas, also expanded into new directions such as radar ornithology, ecophysiology and hormonal control mechanisms, studies of evolution, ge netics, telemetry and others.
Download or read book Bird Love written by Wenfei Tong and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-03-24 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A stunningly illustrated look at the mating and parenting lives of the world's birds Bird Love looks at the extraordinary range of mating systems in the avian world, exploring all the stages from courtship and nest-building to protecting eggs and raising chicks. It delves into the reasons why some species, such as the wattled jacana, rely on males to do all the childcare, while others, such as cuckoos and honeyguides, dump their eggs in the nests of others to raise. For some birds, reciprocal promiscuity pays off: both male and female dunnocks will rear the most chicks by mating with as many partners as possible. For others, long-term monogamy is the only way to ensure their offspring survive. The book explores the wide variety of ways birds make sure they find a mate in the first place, including how many male birds employ elaborate tactics to show how sexy they are. Gathering in leks to display to females, they dance, pose, or parade to sell their suitability as a mate. Other birds attract a partner with their building skills: female bowerbirds rate brains above beauty, so males construct elaborate bowers with twig avenues and cleared courtyards to impress them. Looking at the differing levels of parenting skills across species around the world, we see why a tenth of bird species, including the fairy-wrens of Australia, have helpers at the nest who forgo their own reproduction to assist the breeding pair; how brood parasites and their hosts have engaged in evolutionary arms races; and how monogamous pairs share—or relinquish—their responsibilities. Illustrated throughout with beautiful photographs, Bird Love is a celebration of the global diversity of avian reproductive strategies.
Download or read book Behavioral Ecology of Tropical Birds written by Bridget J.M. Stutchbury and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2022-09-28 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Behavioral Ecology of Tropical Birds, Second Edition provides the most updated and comprehensive review on the evolution of behavior in tropical landbirds. The book reviews gaps in our knowledge that were identified twenty years ago when the first edition was published, highlights recent discoveries that have filled those gaps, and identifies new areas in urgent need of study. It covers key topics, including timing of breeding, movement ecology, life history traits, slow vs. fast pace of life, mating systems, mate choice, territoriality, communication, biotic interactions, and conservation. Written by international experts on the behavior of tropical birds, the book explores why the tropics is a unique natural laboratory to study the evolution of bird behavior and why temperate zone species are so different. A recent surge of studies on tropical birds has helped to reduce the temperate zone bias that arose because most avian model species in behavioral ecology were adapted to northern temperate climates. This is an important resource for researchers, ecologists and conservationists who want to understand the rich and complex evolutionary history of avian behavior. Includes examples from around the world Provides a historical perspective on new knowledge in the past 20 years Identifies knowledge gaps that have been filled, along with new gaps that have emerged Explores how avian behavior in the tropics is related to conservation
Download or read book Comparative Social Evolution written by Dustin R. Rubenstein and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-03-24 with total page 479 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Darwin famously described special difficulties in explaining social evolution in insects. More than a century later, the evolution of sociality - defined broadly as cooperative group living - remains one of the most intriguing problems in biology. Providing a unique perspective on the study of social evolution, this volume synthesizes the features of animal social life across the principle taxonomic groups in which sociality has evolved. The chapters explore sociality in a range of species, from ants to primates, highlighting key natural and life history data and providing a comparative view across animal societies. In establishing a single framework for a common, trait-based approach towards social synthesis, this volume will enable graduate students and investigators new to the field to systematically compare taxonomic groups and reinvigorate comparative approaches to studying animal social evolution.
Download or read book Helping Communal Breeding in Birds written by J. L. Brown and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An overview of the extensive and frequently controversial literature on communally breeding birds developed since the early 1960s, when students of evolution began to examine sociality as a product of natural selection. Jerram Brown provides original data from his own theoretical and empirical studies and summarizes the wide array of results and interpretations made by others. Originally published in 1987. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Download or read book Ecological Adaptations for Breeding in Birds written by David Lack and published by . This book was released on 1968 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Birds written by Lucas Ruiz and published by Nova Science Publishers. This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, the authors present current research in the study of the evolution and behaviour, breeding strategies, migration and spread of disease within the bird species. Topics discussed in this compilation include sex determination in birds; structure and function of the avian respiratory system, with discussion regarding its predisposition to injury by particulates and pathogenic micro-organisms; distribution and dispersion of coccidia in wild passerines of the Americas; an animal geography of the dominant urban avian scavenger in contrasting case studies; recent infectious diseases or their responsible agents recorded from Japanese wild birds; ticks on Brazilian birds; an overview of recent parasitic diseases due to helminths and arthropods recorded from wild birds, with special reference to conservation medical cases from the Wild Animal Medical Center of Rakuno Gakuen University in Japan; environmental factors that affect urban avian communities; and the impact of landscape configuration and competitors on hooded vulture necrosyrtes monarchus temminck 1823 in Southern Ghana.
Download or read book Behavioral Ecology of Neotropical Birds written by Juan Carlos Reboreda and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-04-24 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book covers central aspects of behavioral ecology, including sexual selection, social and genetic mating systems, cooperative breeding, brood parasitism, brood reduction, migration, personalities and communication. Over the past several years, Neotropical bird species from temperate to tropical latitudes of South America have been extensively studied, yielding valuable insights into the evolutionary mechanisms that drive their behavioral traits. In this book, international experts provide a general overview of main behavioral aspects. They also present the main findings of their work, including experimental approaches to testing the most accepted behavioral theory in their model systems. In closing, they propose new theoretical frameworks and future research directions. As such, the book provides a comprehensive and updated guide for all researchers, students and professionals whose work involves the study and management of birds across the Neotropical region.
Download or read book Cooperative Breeding How environment and life history correlate to cooperative breeding in birds written by Luisa van Gansewinkel and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2020-10-26 with total page 9 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2019 in the subject Biology - Developmental Biology, grade: 1,7, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, language: English, abstract: Cooperative breeding systems, in which the offspring of a species is raised and nurtured by not only the parental individuals, but also by alloparents, are widespread among social animals. In birds, around 9 % of all species engage in cooperative breeding. The question why an individual engages in cooperative breeding instead of breeding independently has been a continuous point for researchers. The fitness benefits that an individual gains from cooperative breeding differ from inclusive fitness in the Florida Scrub Jay to a rise of available food sources and group benefits for the Azure-Winged Magpie and Brown-headed Nuthatch. Since the graphic distribution of cooperative breeding in birds is highly variable, it has been suggested that ecological conditions must play a part in what drives cooperative breeding. The ‘Hard-Life Hypothesis’ states that the more barren the environment in which a species has to raise their offspring, the more likely it is that the individuals will participate in cooperative breeding. The ‘Ecological-Constraint Hypothesis’ states that, if an individual cannot find an own habitat due to saturation of the surrounding territories, it will stay and act as an alloparent for its relatives instead. Other, more recent theories take the life history into account as well, stating that the survival rates of not only the offspring but all group members of the system rise.
Download or read book The Role of Nepotism and Competition for the Evolution of Avian Families written by Michael Griesser and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A large number of bird species live in stable groups, and this sets the scene for complex social behaviours, such as co-operative breeding. The vast majority of groups consist of families which arise when young postpone dispersal and remain with their parents beyond independence. However, the factors selecting for the evolution of families and thus also co-operative breeding among birds, are still a challenging puzzle. The currently accepted key explanation for the evolution of families and co-operative breeding focuses on dispersal constraints. While constraints successfully explain within-population dispersal decisions, they fail as an ultimate explanation because offspring in the majority of species face some sort of dispersal constraint, yet still disperse promptly. Recent alternative explanations focus on the role of philopatry and nepotism, and emphasise a key role of life-history for the evolution of families. In this book the authors first review where prolonged family associations are found, and then present a typology of family living to show the diversity of territorial systems and social systems in which families are found.
Download or read book Avian Brood Parasitism written by Manuel Soler and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-05-02 with total page 566 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brood parasitism has become one of the most flourishing areas of research in evolutionary ecology and one of the best model systems for investigating coevolution. This subject has undergone remarkable advances during the last two decades, but has not been covered by any book in the 21st century. This book offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the fascinating field of avian brood parasitism. The topics covered include conspecific brood parasitism; evolution and phylogenetic history of avian brood parasites; parasitic behaviour used by brood parasites; adaptations and counter-adaptations of brood parasites and their hosts at every stage of the breeding cycle (before laying, egg, chick and fledgling stages); factors affecting the evolution of host defences and parasitic attacks; the role of phenotypic plasticity in host defences; mechanisms driving egg recognition and rejection; evolution of nest sharing or nest killing by brood parasite chicks; begging behaviour in parasitized nests and food delivery by host adults; and recognition of conspecifics by juvenile brood parasites. This volume provides a comprehensive reference resource for readers and researchers with an interest in birds, behaviour and evolution, as well as a source of hypotheses and predictions for future investigations into this dynamic subject.
Download or read book Breeding in a Warming World written by Phillip Gienapp and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Cooperative Breeding in Vertebrates written by Walter D. Koenig and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2016-01-07 with total page 403 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brings together long-term studies of cooperation in vertebrates that challenge our understanding of the evolution of social behavior.
