Principles of Social Evolution

AvAndrew F.G. Bourke

Häftad, Engelska, 2011

Del i serien Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution

1 062 kr

Beställningsvara. Skickas inom 7-10 vardagar. Fri frakt över 249 kr.

Fler format och utgåvor

Inbunden

2 459 kr

Beskrivning

Living things are organized in a hierarchy of levels. Genes group together in cells, cells group together in organisms, and organisms group together in societies. Even different species form mutualistic partnerships. Throughout the history of life, previously independent units have formed groups that, in time, have come to resemble individuals in their own right. Evolutionary biologists term such events "the major transitions". The process common to them all is social evolution. Each transition occurs only if natural selection favours one unit joining with another in a new kind of group. This book presents a fresh synthesis of the principles of social evolution that underlie the major transitions, explaining how the basic theory underpinning social evolution - inclusive fitness theory - is central to understanding each event. The book defines the key stages in a major transition, then highlights the shared principles operating at each stage across the transitions as a whole. It addresses in new ways the question of how, once they have arisen, organisms and societies become more individualistic.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2011-01-06
Mått:157 x 234 x 16 mm
Vikt:494 g
Format:Häftad
Språk:Engelska
Serie:Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution
Antal sidor:280
Förlag:OUP OXFORD
ISBN:9780199231164

Utforska kategorier

Mer om författaren

Andrew Bourke graduated with a degree in Zoology from the University of Cambridge in 1983, before conducting a PhD on the social biology of slave-making ants at the University of Bath. In 1988 he obtained a Junior Research Fellowship from Jesus College, Cambridge, which he held until 1991 in the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge. In 1992, he moved to the Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, where he was a research fellow and latterly a Reader. He has held his present position as Professor of Evolutionary Biology at the University of East Anglia since 2006. His research focuses on the evolution of social behaviour, especially in ants and bees. He has published around 50 articles on the conservation, behaviour, ecology, evolution, and genetics of the social insects, and is coauthor of the book 'Social Evolution in Ants'. From 2000 to 2006, he was an editor, then Editor-in-Chief, of the journal 'Behavioral Ecology'.

Recensioner i media

... sets the standard for the future of research in social evolution ... It will be indispensable for scholars in the field of social evolution in its broadest sense.

Innehållsförteckning

Preface and Acknowledgements ; 1. An Expanded View of Social Evolution ; 2. A Primer in Inclusive Fitness Theory ; 3. The Major Transitions in Light of Inclusive Fitness Theory ; 4. Social Group Formation ; 5. Social Group Maintenance ; 6. Social Group Transformation ; 7. Synthesis and Conclusions ; References ; Index