Dunnock Behaviour and Social Evolution
N. B. Davies(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 1. August 1992
Book
Hardback
286 pages
978-0-19-854674-0 (ISBN)
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Description
In this work Nick Davies gives a full account of behaviour, reproduction, and mating patterns in the dunnock (Prunella modularis), also known as the hedge sparrow. Just a little brown bird typically seen near the ground in dense vegetation, its mating systems include pairs, a male with two females, two males with one female, and several males with several females. Observations, field experiments, and DNA fingerprinting are combined to show how this variable social organization arises as an outcome of individuals competing selfishly to maximize their own reproductive success. David Quinn's drawings provide a visual summary of the birds' behaviour. The work also addresses general questions such as the influence of ecology on mating systems and the evolutionary outcomes of conflict within and between species.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
halftones, line drawings, tables, bibliography
ISBN-13
978-0-19-854674-0 (9780198546740)
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N. B. Davies
Dunnock Behaviour and Social Evolution
Book
08/1992
Oxford University Press
€89.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
Content
Why Dunnocks?; Study species and study area; Population structure and the variable mating system; Territorial behaviour: competition for habitat and mates; Factors influencing an individual's reproductive success; Mate guarding and mating: sexual conflict; Relating behaviour to maternity and paternity; Reproductive output from the different mating systems; Individual reproductive success in the various mating systems; Parental effort by males and females in pairs and trios; How males allocate effort between broods in polygyny and polygynandry; Paternity and parental effort; Parasitism by Cuckoos; Sexual conflict, parental care, and mating systems; References; Author and subject index.