Discusses and provides explanations for the mechanisms governing the evolution and maintenance of grouping behaviour across animal taxa.
1. Introduction; 2. The benefits of group formation; 3. Some costs of grouping; 4. The size of a group; 5. Spatial heterogeneity of costs and benefits within groups; 6. Heterogeneity and homogeneity of group membership; 7. Evolutionary considerations; 8. Environmental effects on grouping behaviour; 9. Mechanisms; 10. Conclusions
It's a very nice book and I learned a lot from it. David Sloan Wilson, Depts of Biology and Anthropology, Binghamton University, NY Living in Groups is highly worthwhile for any biologist interested in the nature of groups. David Sloan Wilson, Quarterly Review of Biology The authors convey an infectious enthusiasm for their subject but are also critical, pointing out the need for both theory and empirical research. Their treatment of parasites in addition to predators as an important influence on groups is especially noteworthy. David Sloan Wilson, Quarterly Review of Biology ... was I inspired? Yes, indeed ... would I buy it? My answer is that I had already bought my own copy of "Living in Groups" before receiving the evaluation copy. Animal Behaviour This will be the first book that I hand to a new gradute student and I recommend it to all biologists who think about animals that live in groups. Trends in Ecology and Evolution