Bird Nests and Construction Behaviour
Bird Nests and Construction Behaviour

Author: Mike Hansell

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2000-08-31

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 9781139429085

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Bird Nests and Construction Behaviour provides a broad view of our understanding of the biology of the nests, bowers and tools made by birds. It illustrates how, among vertebrates, the building abilities of birds are more impressive and consistent than for any other builders other than ourselves, yet birds seem to require no special equipment, and use quite uncomplicated behaviour. In doing so, the book raises general issues in the field of behavioural ecology including the costs of reproduction, sexual selection and the organisation and complexity of behaviour. Written for students and researchers of animal behaviour, behavioural ecology and ornithology, it will nevertheless make fascinating reading for architects and engineers interested in understanding how structures are created by animals.

Ecology of Social Evolution
Ecology of Social Evolution

Author: Judith Korb

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2008-02-23

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13: 3540759573

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The time is ripe to investigate similarities and differences in the course of social evolution in different animals. This book brings together renowned researchers working on sociality in different animals to deal with the key questions of sociobiology. For the first time, they compile the evidence for the importance of ecological factors in the evolution of social life, ranging from invertebrate to vertebrate social systems, and evaluate its importance versus that of relatedness.

Antelopes
Antelopes

Author: David P. Mallon

Publisher: IUCN

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 9782831705941

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Antelope herds numbering in the tens of thousands formerly occurred across the steppes and semideserts of Eurasia and India, but these have nearly all been reduced to fractions of their earlier size; antelope populations are now fragmented across the region, and during recent decades several species have disappeared altogether. Threats include hunting, loss of habitat, population fragmentation, inadequate protected area coverage, poorly-developed administrative structures, under-resourcing of conservation programmes, and lack of enforcement of existing legislation. Rising human population growth and economic development constantly increases pressure on land and natural resources. There is a consequent need for integrated rural development, and community-based conservation projects, which have the full participation of local people at the planning and execution stages.This publication, Part 4 of the Global Antelope Survey, covers 37 countries in the region, and actions to conserve antelope populations are listed in each country report.

Speciation
Speciation

Author: Pawel Michalak

Publisher: Nova Science Publishers

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781626183896

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The origin of species, or speciation, the "mystery of mysteries", as Charles Darwin called it, is an issue at the very heart of evolutionary biology, critical to understanding the mechanisms behind the great diversity of life around us. This book is centred around three major research areas: (1) biodiversity patterns in relation to speciation scenarios; (2) mechanisms that produce pre- and postzygotic reproductive isolation and adaptive divergence; as well as (3) genetics, epigenetics, and genomics of speciation. Being a mishmash of new ideas, reviews, conventional and nonconventional case studies, this collection demonstrates more than anything how research can benefit from integration of traditionally divergent disciplines, such as biogeography, paleontology, taxonomy, molecular genetics, proteomics, and genomics.

Marine Fishes of South-East Asia
Marine Fishes of South-East Asia

Author: Gerry Allen

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing

Published: 1999-06-10

Total Pages: 293

ISBN-13: 1462917070

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This beautifully illustrated marine fish guide encompasses the singularly diverse and rich oceans from southeast Asia to Australia Marine Fishes of Southeast Asia contains nearly 2,000 hand-painted illustrations featuring 1,635 individual species. The paintings were completed over a 3-year period and are primarily based on photographs or color transparencies of either live fishes taken underwater or freshly caught specimens. In many cases preserved specimens at the Western Australian Museum have been consulted to ensure accuracy of detail and proportions. The end result is a colorful and highly comprehensive guide to the sea fishes of northern Australia and the adjacent Southeast Asian region.

The Biology of Hover Wasps
The Biology of Hover Wasps

Author: Stefano Turillazzi

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-01-29

Total Pages: 285

ISBN-13: 3642326803

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This book represents the culmination of the author’s lifetime work on a single fascinating group of insects, the hover wasps, Stenogastrinae. The author explores the biology of these little-known wasps at the threshold of sociality, presenting an ambitious survey of ideas about their evolution and an assessment of the current standing of controversial concepts. Following taxonomic and morphological descriptions, the behaviour, colonial dynamics, social communication and especially the remarkably diverse nests of wasps are discussed. Compared to the better-known species of paper wasps, hornets and yellow jackets, the hover wasps show various peculiarities, such as characteristics of immature brood rearing, nest defence and mating systems. The nest architecture probably presents the most variable solutions in social wasps and is characterized by an astonishing level of camouflage, making these insects an interesting example of special adaptation to forest environments.