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Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "For hundreds of thousands of years, humans observed animals because their lives depended on a knowledge of animal behavior..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, Discussion Questions, Bruce Lyon (more...)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This new edition of Animal Behavior has been completely rewritten, resulting in a more compact yet thoroughly up-to-date text. Notable is the inclusion, for the first time, of four-color photographs and illustrations throughout. Like previous editions, the book shows how evolutionary biologists analyze all aspects of behavior. It is distinguished by its balanced treatment of both the underlying mechanisms and evolutionary causes of behavior, and stresses the utility of evolutionary theory in unifying the different behavioral disciplines. Important concepts are explained by reference to key illustrative studies, which are described in sufficient detail to help students appreciate the role of the scientific process in producing research discoveries. Examples are drawn evenly from studies of invertebrates and vertebrates, and are supported by nearly 1,300 reference citations. The writing style is clear and engaging: beginning students have no difficulty following the material, despite the strong conceptual orientation of the text. Indeed, instructors consistently report a high level of enthusiasm for the book on the part of their students.

The book is organized into two major sections, one dealing with the proximate mechanisms of behavior and the other with the ultimate or evolutionary causes of behavior. The first two chapters introduce the distinction between proximate and ultimate causes in biology that is the foundation for the remaining chapters. Four subsequent chapters then take a more detailed look at different aspects of proximate bases of behavior.

The text then shifts to the other major section that covers the evolution of behavior. Making the point that each behavioral trait has an evolutionary history as well as potential current adaptive significance, the author examines the history and adaptive value of various categories of behavior, including evasion of predators, reproductive tactics and social behavior. A final chapter presents an evolutionary view of human behavior.

About the Author

JOHN ALCOCK is at the Arizona State University.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 543 pages
  • Publisher: Sinauer Associates; 7 Sub edition (August 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0878930116
  • ISBN-13: 978-0878930111
  • Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.6 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #118,754 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #27 in  Books > Science > Evolution > Organic
    #32 in  Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Animal Behavior & Communication

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More About the Author

John Alcock
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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First Sentence:
For hundreds of thousands of years, humans observed animals because their lives depended on a knowledge of animal behavior. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Discussion Questions, Bruce Lyon, North America, After Davies, Charles Darwin, Kenneth Roeder, Bernd Heinrich, Nick Davies, Konrad Lorenz, Bob Trivers, Niko Tinbergen, South America, Costa Rica, Craig Packer, East Coast, Erick Greene, Gulf of Mexico, Jim Lloyd, Ken Catania, Malte Andersson, Mart Gross, New World, Richard Dawkins, Russell Fernald
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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
5 star:
 (10)
4 star:
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3 star:
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2 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Ok. I take it back (send it back), December 1, 2001
By John Anderson (Bar Harbor, ME USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Every time I teach Animal Behaviour I swear that I am going to change texts "the next time" -and every time UNTIL NOW my students have said that they REALLY liked Alcock, well, the latest edition changes all that. As other reviewers have noted (and for reasons that escape me) Alcock has allowed his publisher to "dumb down" the text into a bland "pretty face" that turned students off in droves. As I moved through each chapter I kept thinking "How could someone as smart & interesting as Alcock make so many cool subjects so BORING?" Previous editions convince me that it ain't him, so it must be the publisher. Margins are huge, more and more gratuitous "illustrations" clutter up the text & break one's stream of thought, and by mid-term I essentially threw up my hands, apologized to the class & went to using the original primary sources with the book as a marginal reference for those that got lost. If you have a huge lecture course full of unimaginative students who want to take one & one only Behaviour course so that they can say that they have "done Behaviour" then this text is probably perfect for you, otherwise I would suggest haunting used book shops for past editions or going straight to the literature. the whole thing reminds me of "New Coke" -a marketing scheme that ignored its market. Alcock is an excellent scholar and in the past his book has been a great source of original material which I have encouraged my students to have on their shelves as a reference source,but this is a shame.
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18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Step backwards, November 24, 2001
By R.J. Rowe (Townsville, Q Australia) - See all my reviews
Alcock's 'Animal behavior: an evolutionary approach' editions 1 through 6 have come to dominate the field. Edition 7 (without the 'evolutionary approach' on the cover) is a step backwards. The page size is larger with much white space and the pictures have been artistically coloured. Some pictures are there for entertainment and are biologically wrong (flip) p372 the asymmetric pseudoscorpion with a leg and a pedipalp segment missing. There is significantly less content (at least 20% less on the sample of pages I measured). The language is simpler, sometimes at a cost in precision. Some explanations have become 'textbook glib' where attention could/should have been drawn to the fragility of evidence (e.g. it's about time someone pointed out the influence of a single point on Baker & Bellis' human mate guarding results (p476 Fig 15 this edition)) other examples p344 - the suicidal male redback spider - fails to consider mating strategies in other closely related Latrodectus sp. and the observation the fatal flip breaks the embolus, sealing the female's reproductive tract. etc., etc.
The redesign, pretty pictures and reduction in content seems to come at the expense of a marked price hike.
In content the book is now closer to Krebs & Davies 'An introduction to behavioural ecology' which needs to be considered as an alternative for textbook adoption.
In favour of the new style is that a sample of students preferred this book on appearance.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Going downhill, May 14, 2003
By A Customer
I used this book as a student and enjoyed it then. Years later, as a professor, I decided to switch from Krebs and Davies' text to this one for the greater number of examples. However, the lack of theoretical underpinning makes this book more of a fun read than an educational one. My students often thought "wow, thats cool" without understanding the significance. I also found the avoidance of mathematical models troubling. This is a trend I have seen in the most recent Ricklefs' Ecology text as well (which I no longer use). Beautiful photos, easy to read, lots of examples, but much too watered down. I would give this book to my parents to read to understand animal behavior, but I wont use it for a college text again.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy read.
While I was required to get this book for class, it is an easy read. It is a large paperback which doesn't make it easy to protect to retain resale value, but the price was... Read more
Published 10 days ago by Future Horse Doctor

5.0 out of 5 stars Cool book!
This is a book intended for college students taking Animal Behavior. It is a cool book to say the least. It will introduce you to a wonderful world of animals. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dijana Behremovic-durmic

4.0 out of 5 stars Big Difference
The ninth edition was very different from the seventh.
The examples weren't the big difference, but it was the approaches or interpretations. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Kelsey J. Yamada

5.0 out of 5 stars text book
the book looks how it said it would--perfect condition. it came in a timely fashion.
Published 4 months ago by Halley Feldman

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for Beginners
If you are looking for a good survey of Ethology principles and case studies this is the book for you.
Published 8 months ago by James Woods

2.0 out of 5 stars Not that well written
First of all, this isnt a textbook in the traditional sense, so dont get fooled.

It is actually just a compilation of research done on animal behavior, plus a few... Read more
Published 20 months ago by wee

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect condition, speedy delivery
The book came shrink wrapped in perfect condition. Speedy delivery. No complaints.
Published on February 19, 2007 by S

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Educational
This was a textbook for a class and it is as fun and easy to read as a textbook can be. Lots of good pictures and examples.
Published on February 18, 2007 by J. Nepom

4.0 out of 5 stars Book of examples and studies; great for animal behavior
While I expected this book (and my course) to be a book of concepts and theories, they are actually filled with examples of field studies, lab studies, etc. Read more
Published on December 12, 2006 by D. He

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
The reviewer that only gave this book 2 stars is dead wrong, in my opinion. It's sectioned off by topic, then it goes in depth with actual field studies and examples to explain... Read more
Published on December 1, 2006 by C. Lillard

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