Bøger i Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution serien

While the study of viral evolution has developed rapidly in the last 30 years, little attention has been directed toward linking the mechanisms of viral evolution to the epidemiological outcomes of these processes. This book intends to fill this gap by considering the patterns and processes of viral evolution at all its spatial and temporal scales.

Synthesises and evaluates recent advances concerning how species and their interactions influence terrestrial ecosystem processes, such as productivity, decomposition, nutrient cycling, and fluxes.

Provides a synthesis of quantitative information on the ecology of the brown trout, including sea-trout, and comparisons with closely related species. Much of this work is relevant to general problems in quantitative animal ecology as well as to fisheries management.

Population dynamics and animal behaviour are two subjects which have developed almost independently. This book provides a framework for combining these two subjects and shows how to consider a range of conservation issues. It is aimed at students and researchers in animal behaviour, population ecology, and conservation biology.

This is an introduction to a set of powerful and extremely flexible modelling techniques, starting at "square one" and continuing with chosen applications. The text also explains how to construct, test, and use dynamic state variable models in a wide range of contexts in evolutionary ecology.

This study constitutes an empirical text of the theoretical predictions, and should be of special interest to students on behavioural and evolutionary ecology. The main theme is that sexual selection is important, and affects many aspects of animal life such as mating behaviour and parental care.

Presents data on tropical wasps which suggests that kin-selection has been over-emphasized as an evolutionary explanation of sociality. This book discusses the significance of multi-queen colonies and the evolutionary pathways that may have led to observed social patterns.

In this book, Eric Charnov uses ideas about symmetry, invariance, and scaling laws to explore aspects of population dynamics and the evolution of male and female life histories. Charnov's work is internationally known and will attract great interest among postgraduate students and researchers in ecology, evolution, behaviour, and many other fields within organismal biology.

Examining the mechanism and action of natural selection in evolution, the author offers his own synthesis of modern evolutionary theory, including discussions of the gene as the unit of selection, clade selection and macroevolution, diversity within and among populations, and other central issues.

Group living is a widespread phenomenon amongst animals. This book focuses on the unifying concepts regarding group behaviour. It discusses the mechanisms that govern the evolution and maintenance of grouping behaviour throughout the animal kingdom, and the factors that control observed group size and group composition in particular situations.

Gives an account of the mating systems of the dunnock or hedge sparrow, Prunella modularis, which include pairs, a male with two females, two males with one female, and several males with several females. This work provides a visual summary of the birds' behaviour, and is useful for students of ecology, evolution, and animal behaviour.

This study outlines four different categories of co-operation among animals - reciprocal altruism, kinship, group-selected co-operation, and by-product mutualism - and ties them together in a single framework. Studies on co-operation in insects, fish, birds and mammals are then reviewed.

Birds show bewildering diversity in their life histories, mating systems and risk of extinction. Why, for example, are fairy-wrens so sexually promiscuous while swans show life long monogamy? This fascinating book is a comprehensive re-appraisal of avian diversity, and is the most extensive application of modern comparative methods yet undertaken.