Evolutionary Ecology Of Birds. Life Histories, Mating Systems And Extinction

Ian-P-F Owens

,

Peter-M Bennett

Note moyenne 
Ian-P-F Owens et Peter-M Bennett - Evolutionary Ecology Of Birds. Life Histories, Mating Systems And Extinction.
Birds show bewildering diversity in their life histories, mating systems and risk of extinction. Why does the albatross delay reproduction for the first... Lire la suite
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Résumé

Birds show bewildering diversity in their life histories, mating systems and risk of extinction. Why does the albatross delay reproduction for the first twelve years of its life white zebra finches breed in their first year ? Why are fairy-wrens so sexually promiscuous white swans show lifelong monogamy ? Why are over a quarter of parrot species threatened with global extinction while woodpeckers and cuckoos remain secure ? Some of these topics are classic problems in natural and sexual selection, white others have arisen in the last decade, such as variation in genetic mating systems or extinction risk. Birds offer a unique opportunity for investigating these questions because they are exceptionally well-studied in the wild. By employing phylogenetic comparative methods and a database of up to three thousand species, the authors identify the ecological and evolutionary basis of many of these intriguing questions. They also highlight remaining puzzles and identify a series of challenges for future investigation. This is the most comprehensive reappraisal of avian diversity since David Lack's classic Ecological Adaptations for Breeding in Birds. It is also the most extensive application of modern comparative methods yet undertaken. This novel approach demonstrates how an evolutionary perspective can reveal the general ecological processes that underpin contemporary avian diversity on a global scale.

Sommaire

  • COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY OF BIRDS
    • Diverse birds and puzzles
    • Comparative methods
  • NATURAL SELECTION AND DIVERSITY IN LIFE-HISTORIES
    • Diversity among living species
    • Patterns of covariation between life-history traits
    • Ecological basis of life-history diversity
    • Further problems
  • SEXUAL SELECTION AND DIVERSITY IN MATING SYSTEMS
    • Variation in mating systems and sexual dimorphism
    • Ecological basis of mating system diversity
    • Ecological basis of sexual dimorphism
    • Further problems
  • BIRTH AND DEATH OF BIRD SPECIES
    • Variation in extinction risk and species richness
    • Explaining variation in extinction risk
    • Explaining variation in species richness
    • Further problems.

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À propos des auteurs

Peter Benett is Head of Biodiversity & Macroecology and Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London. Ian Owens is Governor's Lecturer in Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics, Department of Biological Sciences, Imperial College at Silwood Park.

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