Charles L. Nunn's Books

The Comparative Approach in Evolutionary Anthropology and Biology

By: Charles L. Nunn

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The Comparative Approach in Evolutionary Anthropology and Biology

By: Charles L. Nunn

Comparison is fundamental to evolutionary anthropology. When scientists study chimpanzee cognition, for example, they compare chimp performance on cognitive tasks to the performance of human children on the same tasks. And when new fossils are found, such as those of the tiny humans of Flores, scientists compare these remains to other fossils and contemporary humans. Comparison provides a way to draw general inferences about the evolution of traits and therefore has long been the cornerstone of efforts to understand biological and cultural diversity. Individual studies of fossilized remains, living species, or human populations are the essential units of analysis in a comparative study; bringing these elements into a broader comparative framework allows the puzzle pieces to fall into place, creating a means of testing adaptive hypotheses and generating new ones. With this book, Charles L. Nunn intends to ensure that evolutionary anthropologists and organismal biologists have the tools to realize the potential of comparative research. Nunn provides a wide-ranging investigation of the comparative foundations of evolutionary anthropology in past and present research, including studies of animal behavior, biodiversity, linguistic evolution, allometry, and cross-cultural variation. He also points the way to the future, exploring the new phylogeny-based comparative approaches and offering a how-to manual for scientists who wish to incorporate these new methods into their research.

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392

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0226090000

ISBN 13

9780226090009

Infectious Diseases in Primates

Behavior, Ecology and Evolution

By: Charles Nunn,Sonia Altizer

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Infectious Diseases in Primates

Behavior, Ecology and Evolution

By: Charles Nunn,Sonia Altizer

Recent progress in the field of wildlife disease ecology demonstrates that infectious disease plays a crucial role in the lives of wild animals. Parasites and pathogens should be especially important for social animals in which high contact among individuals increases the potential for disease spread. As one of the best studied mammalian groups, primates offer a unique opportunity to examine how complex behaviours (including social organization) influence the risk of acquiring infectious diseases, and the defences used by animals to avoid infection. This book explores the correlates of disease risk in primates, including not only social and mating behaviour but also diet, habitat use, life history, geography and phylogeny. The authors examine how a core set of host and parasite traits influence patterns of parasitism at three levels of biological organization: among individuals, among populations, and across species. A major goal is to synthesize, for the first time, four disparate areas of research: primate behavioural ecology, parasite biology, wildlife epidemiology, and the behavioural and immune defences employed by animals to counter infectious disease. Throughout, the authors provide an overview of the remarkable diversity of infectious agents found in wild primate populations. Additional chapters consider how knowledge of infectious diseases in wild primates can inform efforts focused on primate conservation and human health. More generally, this book identifies infectious disease as an important frontier in our understanding of primate behaviour and ecology. It highlights future challenges for testing the links between host and parasite traits, including hypotheses for the effects of disease on primate social and mating systems.

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Page Count

396

Publisher

OUP Oxford

Published Date

ISBN 10

0191513717

ISBN 13

9780191513718

The Comparative Approach in Evolutionary Anthropology and Biology

By: Charles L. Nunn

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The Comparative Approach in Evolutionary Anthropology and Biology

By: Charles L. Nunn

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

392

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0226090000

ISBN 13

9780226090009

Book's by Charles L. Nunn

The Comparative Approach in Evolutionary Anthropology and Biology

The Comparative Approach in Evolutionary Anthropology and Biology

Infectious Diseases in Primates

Infectious Diseases in Primates

The Comparative Approach in Evolutionary Anthropology and Biology

The Comparative Approach in Evolutionary Anthropology and Biology

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