Cooperative Breeding in Mammals

Description

Cooperative breeding refers to a social system in which individuals other than the parents provide care for the offspring. Since individuals delay breeding and invest in the offspring of others, cooperative breeding poses a challenge to a Darwinian explanation of the evolution of social behaviour. The contributors to this book explore the evolutionary, ecological, behavioural and physiological basis of cooperative breeding in mammals. The book contains a collection of chapters by the leading researchers in the field, and it is dedicated exclusively to the study of mammalian cooperative breeding. It will appeal to zoologists, ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and to those interested in animal behaviour.

"This volume is the first on cooperative breeding in mammals, and it will consequently serve as a landmark in the field." Jerram L. Brown, The Quarterly Review of Biology "...an important reference for behavioral ecologists, ethologists, physiologists, and mamalogists. It should be read by ornithologists who wish to avoid 'taxonomic tunnel vision'" Jerram L. Brown, The Quarterly Review of Biology