An introduction to animal behaviour / Aubrey Manning, Marian Stamp Dawkins.

CONTENTS

1. Introduction
questions about animal behavior
the escaping cockroach
the courtship of the sage grouse
e.tc

2. The development of behavior
young animals grow up
instinct and learning in their biological setting
the characteristics of instinct and learning
genetics and behavior
e.tc

3. Stimuli and communication
what stimuli are and how they act
diverse sensory capacities
the problem of pattern recognition
sign stimuli (key features)
supernormal stimuli
e.tc

4. Decision-making and motivation
decision making on different time scales
decision making and motivation
measuring motivation
is motivation specific or general?
e.tc

5. Learning and memory
learning as part of adaptation
sensitization and habituation
associative learning
e.tc

6. Evolution
the addictiveness of behavior
genes and behavioral evolution
kin selection and inclusive fitness
evolutionarily stable strategies
e.tc

7. Social organization
the individual in the crowd
advantages of grouping
diverse social groups
e.tc

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Wolves excitedly greet each other as members of the pack come together; a bumble bee uses its long tongue to reach the nectar at the base of a foxglove flower; a mongoose swiftly and deftly bites its prey to death; young cheetahs rest quietly together, very close to sleep. Now in full colour, this revised and updated edition of Manning and Dawkins' classic text provides a beautifully written introduction to the fundamentals of animal behaviour. Tinbergen's four questions of causation, evolution, development and function form the fundamental framework of the text, illustrated with fascinating examples of complex behavioural mechanisms. The authors provide accounts of all levels of behaviour from the nerve cell to that of the population. The strengths of An Introduction to Animal Behaviour as a textbook include its clear explanations and concise, readable text and the enthusiasm of the authors for their subject"-- Provided by publisher.