Mike Hansell
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198507529
- eISBN:
- 9780191709838
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198507529.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology
Construction behaviour occurs across the entire spectrum of the animal kingdom and affects the survival of both builders and other organisms associated with them. This book provides a comprehensive ...
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Construction behaviour occurs across the entire spectrum of the animal kingdom and affects the survival of both builders and other organisms associated with them. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the biology of animal building. It recognizes three broad categories of built structure: homes, traps, and courtship displays. Even though some of these structures are complex and very large, the behaviour required to build them is generally simple and the anatomy for building unspecialized. Standardization of building materials helps to keep building repertoires simple, while self-organizing effects help create complexity. In a case-study approach to function, insects demonstrate how homes can remain operational while they grow, spiderwebs illustrate mechanical design, and the displays of bowerbirds raise the possibility of persuasion through design rather than just decoration. Studies of the costs to builders provide evidence of optimal designs and of trade-offs with other life history traits. As ecosystem engineers, the influence of builders is extensive and their effect is generally to enhance biodiversity through niche construction. Animal builders can therefore represent model species for the study of the emerging subject of environmental inheritance. Building, and in particular building with silk, has been demonstrated to have important evolutionary consequences.Less
Construction behaviour occurs across the entire spectrum of the animal kingdom and affects the survival of both builders and other organisms associated with them. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the biology of animal building. It recognizes three broad categories of built structure: homes, traps, and courtship displays. Even though some of these structures are complex and very large, the behaviour required to build them is generally simple and the anatomy for building unspecialized. Standardization of building materials helps to keep building repertoires simple, while self-organizing effects help create complexity. In a case-study approach to function, insects demonstrate how homes can remain operational while they grow, spiderwebs illustrate mechanical design, and the displays of bowerbirds raise the possibility of persuasion through design rather than just decoration. Studies of the costs to builders provide evidence of optimal designs and of trade-offs with other life history traits. As ecosystem engineers, the influence of builders is extensive and their effect is generally to enhance biodiversity through niche construction. Animal builders can therefore represent model species for the study of the emerging subject of environmental inheritance. Building, and in particular building with silk, has been demonstrated to have important evolutionary consequences.
Duncan J. Irschick and Timothy E. Higham
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780199296545
- eISBN:
- 9780191817489
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199296545.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology, Ecology
This work examines the wonders of animal athletics, both from an ecological perspective and from an evolutionary perspective. Animals are remarkable for their amazing abilities to perform tasks such ...
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This work examines the wonders of animal athletics, both from an ecological perspective and from an evolutionary perspective. Animals are remarkable for their amazing abilities to perform tasks such as running, jumping, feeding, vocalization, and others. Many of these abilities far exceed what humans can accomplish, such as the ability of a rattlesnake to shake its tail at 90 Hz, or the ability of a mako shark to swim 50 km/h! These remarkable abilities have evolved to enable these animals to survive, often within very harsh conditions. This book examines how such abilities have evolved, how they are used in nature, and how they relate to many other features, such as sexual traits, reproduction, and the need to perform other tasks well. Further, this book examines how modern portable technology is enabling scientists to unlock many of the mysteries of how and why animals perform such tasks. By examining a wide range of animal species, including lizards, sharks, insects, spiders, mammals, and birds, among others, this book is a broad survey of the diversity of animal form and function.Less
This work examines the wonders of animal athletics, both from an ecological perspective and from an evolutionary perspective. Animals are remarkable for their amazing abilities to perform tasks such as running, jumping, feeding, vocalization, and others. Many of these abilities far exceed what humans can accomplish, such as the ability of a rattlesnake to shake its tail at 90 Hz, or the ability of a mako shark to swim 50 km/h! These remarkable abilities have evolved to enable these animals to survive, often within very harsh conditions. This book examines how such abilities have evolved, how they are used in nature, and how they relate to many other features, such as sexual traits, reproduction, and the need to perform other tasks well. Further, this book examines how modern portable technology is enabling scientists to unlock many of the mysteries of how and why animals perform such tasks. By examining a wide range of animal species, including lizards, sharks, insects, spiders, mammals, and birds, among others, this book is a broad survey of the diversity of animal form and function.
Claus Nielsen
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- December 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199606023
- eISBN:
- 9780191774706
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199606023.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics, Animal Biology
This book provides a comprehensive analysis of evolution in the animal kingdom. It reviews the classical, morphological information from structure and embryology, as well as the new data gained from ...
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This book provides a comprehensive analysis of evolution in the animal kingdom. It reviews the classical, morphological information from structure and embryology, as well as the new data gained from studies using immune stainings of nerves and muscles and blastomere markings, which makes it possible to follow the fate of single blastomeres all the way to early organogenesis. Until recently, the information from analyses of gene sequences has tended to produce myriads of quite diverging trees. However, the latest generation of molecular methods, using many genes, expressed sequence tags, and even whole genomes, has brought a new stability to the field. The book brings together the information from these varied fields, and demonstrates that it is indeed now possible to build a phylogenetic tree from a combination of both morphology and gene sequences. This thoroughly revised third edition brings the subject fully up to date, especially in light of the latest advances in molecular techniques. The book is illustrated throughout with finely detailed line drawings and clear diagrams, many of them new.Less
This book provides a comprehensive analysis of evolution in the animal kingdom. It reviews the classical, morphological information from structure and embryology, as well as the new data gained from studies using immune stainings of nerves and muscles and blastomere markings, which makes it possible to follow the fate of single blastomeres all the way to early organogenesis. Until recently, the information from analyses of gene sequences has tended to produce myriads of quite diverging trees. However, the latest generation of molecular methods, using many genes, expressed sequence tags, and even whole genomes, has brought a new stability to the field. The book brings together the information from these varied fields, and demonstrates that it is indeed now possible to build a phylogenetic tree from a combination of both morphology and gene sequences. This thoroughly revised third edition brings the subject fully up to date, especially in light of the latest advances in molecular techniques. The book is illustrated throughout with finely detailed line drawings and clear diagrams, many of them new.
Michael F. Land and Dan-Eric Nilsson
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- December 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199581139
- eISBN:
- 9780191774652
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199581139.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology
This book provides a comparative account of all the types of eye in the animal kingdom. It gives an outline of the structure and function of each kind of eye, with an emphasis on the nature of the ...
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This book provides a comparative account of all the types of eye in the animal kingdom. It gives an outline of the structure and function of each kind of eye, with an emphasis on the nature of the optical systems and the physical principles involved in image formation. The book also covers the evolution and taxonomic distribution of each type of eye, and their roles in the behaviour and ecology of the animals that possess them. In comparing the capabilities of eyes, it considers the factors that lead to good resolution of detail, and to the ability to function under a wide range of light conditions. The book also deals with movements of the eyes: how they sample the world in time as well as space.Less
This book provides a comparative account of all the types of eye in the animal kingdom. It gives an outline of the structure and function of each kind of eye, with an emphasis on the nature of the optical systems and the physical principles involved in image formation. The book also covers the evolution and taxonomic distribution of each type of eye, and their roles in the behaviour and ecology of the animals that possess them. In comparing the capabilities of eyes, it considers the factors that lead to good resolution of detail, and to the ability to function under a wide range of light conditions. The book also deals with movements of the eyes: how they sample the world in time as well as space.
Andrew Biewener and Sheila Patek
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198743156
- eISBN:
- 9780191803031
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198743156.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology, Ecology
This book provides a synthesis of the physical, physiological, evolutionary, and biomechanical principles that underlie animal locomotion. An understanding and full appreciation of animal locomotion ...
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This book provides a synthesis of the physical, physiological, evolutionary, and biomechanical principles that underlie animal locomotion. An understanding and full appreciation of animal locomotion requires the integration of these principles. Toward this end, we provide the necessary introductory foundation that will allow a more in-depth understanding of the physical biology and physiology of animal movement. In so doing, we hope that this book will illuminate the fundamentals and breadth of these systems, while inspiring our readers to look more deeply into the scientific literature and investigate new features of animal movement. Several themes run through this book. The first is that by comparing the modes and mechanisms by which animals have evolved the capacity for movement, we can understand the common principles that underlie each mode of locomotion. A second is that size matters. One of the most amazing aspects of biology is the enormous spatial and temporal scale over which organisms and biological processes operate. Within each mode of locomotion, animals have evolved designs and mechanisms that effectively contend with the physical properties and forces imposed on them by their environment. Understanding the constraints of scale that underlie locomotor mechanisms is essential to appreciating how these mechanisms have evolved and how they operate. A third theme is the importance of taking an integrative and comparative evolutionary approach in the study of biology. Organisms share much in common. Much of their molecular and cellular machinery is the same. They also must navigate similar physical properties of their environment. Consequently, an integrative approach to organismal function that spans multiple levels of biological organization provides a strong understanding of animal locomotion. By comparing across species, common principles of design emerge. Such comparisons also highlight how certain organisms may differ and point to strategies that have evolved for movement in diverse environments. Finally, because convergence upon common designs and the generation of new designs result from historical processes governed by natural selection, it is also important that we ask how and why these systems have evolved.Less
This book provides a synthesis of the physical, physiological, evolutionary, and biomechanical principles that underlie animal locomotion. An understanding and full appreciation of animal locomotion requires the integration of these principles. Toward this end, we provide the necessary introductory foundation that will allow a more in-depth understanding of the physical biology and physiology of animal movement. In so doing, we hope that this book will illuminate the fundamentals and breadth of these systems, while inspiring our readers to look more deeply into the scientific literature and investigate new features of animal movement. Several themes run through this book. The first is that by comparing the modes and mechanisms by which animals have evolved the capacity for movement, we can understand the common principles that underlie each mode of locomotion. A second is that size matters. One of the most amazing aspects of biology is the enormous spatial and temporal scale over which organisms and biological processes operate. Within each mode of locomotion, animals have evolved designs and mechanisms that effectively contend with the physical properties and forces imposed on them by their environment. Understanding the constraints of scale that underlie locomotor mechanisms is essential to appreciating how these mechanisms have evolved and how they operate. A third theme is the importance of taking an integrative and comparative evolutionary approach in the study of biology. Organisms share much in common. Much of their molecular and cellular machinery is the same. They also must navigate similar physical properties of their environment. Consequently, an integrative approach to organismal function that spans multiple levels of biological organization provides a strong understanding of animal locomotion. By comparing across species, common principles of design emerge. Such comparisons also highlight how certain organisms may differ and point to strategies that have evolved for movement in diverse environments. Finally, because convergence upon common designs and the generation of new designs result from historical processes governed by natural selection, it is also important that we ask how and why these systems have evolved.
E.J. Milner-Gulland, John M. Fryxell, and Anthony R.E. Sinclair (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- December 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199568994
- eISBN:
- 9780191774676
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199568994.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology
This book takes a comparative, integrated view of migration, linking evolution with ecology and management, theory with empirical research, and embracing all the major migratory taxa (including ...
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This book takes a comparative, integrated view of migration, linking evolution with ecology and management, theory with empirical research, and embracing all the major migratory taxa (including humans). The scope extends beyond the target organism to consider the ecosystem-level dynamics of migration. Rather than simply reviewing the field of migration as it stands today, the book highlights the lacunae in our knowledge and understanding. The emphasis is on exciting new research avenues that are now opening up, whether because of advances in our understanding of migration as a biological phenomenon or through the availability of a range of new technologies. Broad themes that emerge include smoothly integrating migration into the broad spectrum of movement behaviour; the need for a comparative and cross-taxonomic approach that considers migration at a range of temporal and spatial scales; and examination of the key roles of resource uncertainty and spatial heterogeneity in driving migratory behaviour. The chapters identify the potential for new tools to revolutionise the study of migration, including satellite-tracking technology, genomics and modelling – all of which are linked to increasing computing power. There is a current dearth of hypothesis-driven studies that fully integrate theory and empirical analyses, and a taxonomic bias towards birds in much migration research; both of these issues need to be resolved if we are to progress. We are on the verge of a breakthrough in migration research, which is crucial given the multiple threats that face the conservation of migration as a phenomenon, including climate change.Less
This book takes a comparative, integrated view of migration, linking evolution with ecology and management, theory with empirical research, and embracing all the major migratory taxa (including humans). The scope extends beyond the target organism to consider the ecosystem-level dynamics of migration. Rather than simply reviewing the field of migration as it stands today, the book highlights the lacunae in our knowledge and understanding. The emphasis is on exciting new research avenues that are now opening up, whether because of advances in our understanding of migration as a biological phenomenon or through the availability of a range of new technologies. Broad themes that emerge include smoothly integrating migration into the broad spectrum of movement behaviour; the need for a comparative and cross-taxonomic approach that considers migration at a range of temporal and spatial scales; and examination of the key roles of resource uncertainty and spatial heterogeneity in driving migratory behaviour. The chapters identify the potential for new tools to revolutionise the study of migration, including satellite-tracking technology, genomics and modelling – all of which are linked to increasing computing power. There is a current dearth of hypothesis-driven studies that fully integrate theory and empirical analyses, and a taxonomic bias towards birds in much migration research; both of these issues need to be resolved if we are to progress. We are on the verge of a breakthrough in migration research, which is crucial given the multiple threats that face the conservation of migration as a phenomenon, including climate change.
Lars-Anders Hansson and Susanne Åkesson (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199677184
- eISBN:
- 9780191785696
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199677184.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology, Ecology
This book takes a broad approach to animal movement across both temporal and spatial scales. Movement and migration on land, in the air, and in water are pervading features of animal life—from the ...
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This book takes a broad approach to animal movement across both temporal and spatial scales. Movement and migration on land, in the air, and in water are pervading features of animal life—from the smallest protozoans to the largest whales—and can extend from millimetres to global scale. Research into animal movement ecology is now entering a new era with the development of novel molecular, electronic, and technical methods that make it possible to analyse the movements of individual animals under complex environmental conditions that determine the evolution of movement habits. This book addresses how and why animals move and in what ways they differ in their locomotion and navigation performance. The book also synthesizes current knowledge of the genetics of movement/migration, including gene flow and local adaptations. Based on long-term data sets, a future perspective on how patterns of animal migration may change over time together with the potential evolutionary consequences is provided. Throughout it is suggested that optimization is a useful approach for understanding the evolution of movement patterns among different animals as well as their travelling performance, movement strategies, and paths followed. Taking movement, dispersal, and migration into account is crucial for understanding the spatial scale of adaptation, and for analysing the consequences on population and community levels of landscape and climate change, as well as of invasive species.Less
This book takes a broad approach to animal movement across both temporal and spatial scales. Movement and migration on land, in the air, and in water are pervading features of animal life—from the smallest protozoans to the largest whales—and can extend from millimetres to global scale. Research into animal movement ecology is now entering a new era with the development of novel molecular, electronic, and technical methods that make it possible to analyse the movements of individual animals under complex environmental conditions that determine the evolution of movement habits. This book addresses how and why animals move and in what ways they differ in their locomotion and navigation performance. The book also synthesizes current knowledge of the genetics of movement/migration, including gene flow and local adaptations. Based on long-term data sets, a future perspective on how patterns of animal migration may change over time together with the potential evolutionary consequences is provided. Throughout it is suggested that optimization is a useful approach for understanding the evolution of movement patterns among different animals as well as their travelling performance, movement strategies, and paths followed. Taking movement, dispersal, and migration into account is crucial for understanding the spatial scale of adaptation, and for analysing the consequences on population and community levels of landscape and climate change, as well as of invasive species.
Timothy J. Bradley
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198569961
- eISBN:
- 9780191728273
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198569961.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology
Water is fundamental to life and to the maintenance of an appropriate environment for physiological functions at the molecular, cellular, and organismal level. Water balance is also the principal ...
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Water is fundamental to life and to the maintenance of an appropriate environment for physiological functions at the molecular, cellular, and organismal level. Water balance is also the principal mechanism of volume regulation in animals. The physical properties of water have profound effects on all biological structures and their function. Animal Osmoregulation has three main themes. The first deals with the physical properties of water, and its interactions with proteins, lipids, and biological membranes. Solutes affect the activity of water and thus the magnitude of the gradients driving water movement through osmosis. The distribution and transport of water in biological systems depends therefore on the properties of solutes, their distribution, and their transport. The second theme involves a detailed physical description of osmosis. This is followed by an explanation of the significance of osmotic regulation in animals inhabiting a wide variety of environments. Examples are explored for marine, freshwater, and terrestrial animals. A broad phylogenetic array of animals is discussed. Thirdly, the book deals with membranes as compartmental barriers. By definition, osmosis occurs through semi-permeable membranes. Membranes also, however, play a fundamental role in energy storage, energy transduction, solute transport, and sensory physiology. This volume approaches animal osmoregulation from the perspective of the physical laws that influence the structure of biological systems. It extends these concepts to explore the diversity of adaptations in the animal kingdom that deal with osmotic challenges in a variety of environments.Less
Water is fundamental to life and to the maintenance of an appropriate environment for physiological functions at the molecular, cellular, and organismal level. Water balance is also the principal mechanism of volume regulation in animals. The physical properties of water have profound effects on all biological structures and their function. Animal Osmoregulation has three main themes. The first deals with the physical properties of water, and its interactions with proteins, lipids, and biological membranes. Solutes affect the activity of water and thus the magnitude of the gradients driving water movement through osmosis. The distribution and transport of water in biological systems depends therefore on the properties of solutes, their distribution, and their transport. The second theme involves a detailed physical description of osmosis. This is followed by an explanation of the significance of osmotic regulation in animals inhabiting a wide variety of environments. Examples are explored for marine, freshwater, and terrestrial animals. A broad phylogenetic array of animals is discussed. Thirdly, the book deals with membranes as compartmental barriers. By definition, osmosis occurs through semi-permeable membranes. Membranes also, however, play a fundamental role in energy storage, energy transduction, solute transport, and sensory physiology. This volume approaches animal osmoregulation from the perspective of the physical laws that influence the structure of biological systems. It extends these concepts to explore the diversity of adaptations in the animal kingdom that deal with osmotic challenges in a variety of environments.
Jens Krause, Richard James, Daniel W. Franks, and Darren P. Croft (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199679041
- eISBN:
- 9780191794094
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199679041.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology
The scientific study of networks — computer, social, and biological — has received an enormous amount of interest in recent years. However, the network approach has been applied to the field of ...
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The scientific study of networks — computer, social, and biological — has received an enormous amount of interest in recent years. However, the network approach has been applied to the field of animal behaviour relatively late compared to many other biological disciplines. Understanding social network structure is of great importance for biologists since the structural characteristics of any network will affect its constituent members and influence a range of diverse behaviours. These include finding and choosing a sexual partner, developing and maintaining cooperative relationships, and engaging in foraging and anti-predator behavior. This book provides an overview of the insights that network analysis has provided into major biological processes, and how it has enhanced our understanding of the social organisation of several important taxonomic groups. It provides an overview of the power of the network approach which is useful for understanding patterns and process in animal populations. It also outlines how current methodological constraints and challenges can be overcome.Less
The scientific study of networks — computer, social, and biological — has received an enormous amount of interest in recent years. However, the network approach has been applied to the field of animal behaviour relatively late compared to many other biological disciplines. Understanding social network structure is of great importance for biologists since the structural characteristics of any network will affect its constituent members and influence a range of diverse behaviours. These include finding and choosing a sexual partner, developing and maintaining cooperative relationships, and engaging in foraging and anti-predator behavior. This book provides an overview of the insights that network analysis has provided into major biological processes, and how it has enhanced our understanding of the social organisation of several important taxonomic groups. It provides an overview of the power of the network approach which is useful for understanding patterns and process in animal populations. It also outlines how current methodological constraints and challenges can be overcome.
Lori Lach, Catherine Parr, and Kirsti Abbott (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199544639
- eISBN:
- 9780191720192
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199544639.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Animal Biology
From scorching, barren deserts to humid tropical forests, from deep in the soil, to high in the tree canopies, ants are everywhere! Comprising a substantial part of living biomass on earth, ants are ...
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From scorching, barren deserts to humid tropical forests, from deep in the soil, to high in the tree canopies, ants are everywhere! Comprising a substantial part of living biomass on earth, ants are integral to the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. More than 12,000 species have been described to date, and it is estimated that perhaps as many still await classification. Their social structure provides a rich ground for exploring how division of labour affects the acquisition of resources, foraging and defensive behaviours, and coevolution with the flora and fauna with which they interact. The study of ants has led to significant advances in our understanding of insect evolution, global diversity patterns, competitive interactions, mutualisms, ecosystem's responses to change, and biological invasions. Ant Ecology explores these and other key ecological issues and new developments in myrmecology across a range of scales. The book begins with a global perspective on species diversity in time and space and explores interactions at the community level before describing the population ecology of these social insects. The final section covers the recent ecological phenomenon of invasive ants: how they move across the globe, invade, affect ecosystems, and are managed by humans. Each chapter links ant ecology to broader ecological principles, provides a succinct summary, and discusses future research directions. The Synthesis and Perspectives highlights contributions of ant ecology to ecology more broadly, and outlines promising areas for future research.Less
From scorching, barren deserts to humid tropical forests, from deep in the soil, to high in the tree canopies, ants are everywhere! Comprising a substantial part of living biomass on earth, ants are integral to the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. More than 12,000 species have been described to date, and it is estimated that perhaps as many still await classification. Their social structure provides a rich ground for exploring how division of labour affects the acquisition of resources, foraging and defensive behaviours, and coevolution with the flora and fauna with which they interact. The study of ants has led to significant advances in our understanding of insect evolution, global diversity patterns, competitive interactions, mutualisms, ecosystem's responses to change, and biological invasions. Ant Ecology explores these and other key ecological issues and new developments in myrmecology across a range of scales. The book begins with a global perspective on species diversity in time and space and explores interactions at the community level before describing the population ecology of these social insects. The final section covers the recent ecological phenomenon of invasive ants: how they move across the globe, invade, affect ecosystems, and are managed by humans. Each chapter links ant ecology to broader ecological principles, provides a succinct summary, and discusses future research directions. The Synthesis and Perspectives highlights contributions of ant ecology to ecology more broadly, and outlines promising areas for future research.
Sensory Ecology, Behaviour, and Evolution
