John Maynard Smith's Books

The Theory of Evolution

By: John Maynard Smith

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A century ago Darwin and Wallace explained how evolution could have happened in terms of processes known to take place today. This book describes how their theory has been confirmed, but at the same time "transformed", by recent research.

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380

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Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521451280

ISBN 13

9780521451284

The Evolution of Sex

By: John Maynard Smith

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The Evolution of Sex

By: John Maynard Smith

The question of why organisms reproduce sexually is still a matter of controversy. In this account, Professor Maynard Smith considers the selective forces responsible for the origin and evolution of sexual reproduction and genetic recombination, using quantitative population genetics arguments to support his ideas. The relative importance of individual and group selection processes are also considered. the aim is to give a clear statement of the theoretical issues, and present enough of the evidence to show what kinds of facts are relevant. It is hoped that where crucial evidence is missing, experimentalists and field workers may be encouraged to collect the relevant data. The author does not claim to solve all the problems he raises, but this clear and well-argued account should provide stimulating reading for advanced undergraduate students and research workers in evolutionary theory.

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236

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

052121887X

ISBN 13

9780521218870

The Major Transitions in Evolution

By: John Maynard Smith,Eörs Szathmáry

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The Major Transitions in Evolution

By: John Maynard Smith,Eörs Szathmáry

During evolution there have been several major changes in the way genetic information is organized and transmitted from one generation to the next. These transitions include the origin of life itself, the first eukaryotic cells, reproduction by sexual means, the appearance of multicellular plants and animals, the emergence of cooperation and of animal societies. This is the first book to discuss all these major transitions and their implications for our understanding of evolution.Clearly written and illustrated with many original diagrams, this book will be welcomed by students and researchers in the fields of evolutionary biology, ecology, and genetics.

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361

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

019850294X

ISBN 13

9780198502944

The Origins of Life

From the Birth of Life to the Origin of Language

By: John Maynard Smith,Eors Szathmary

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The Origins of Life

From the Birth of Life to the Origin of Language

By: John Maynard Smith,Eors Szathmary

In this fascinating book, John Maynard Smith and Eors Szathmary present an original picture of evolution. They propose that during evolution there have been a number of major transitions in the way in which information is passed between generations. These transitions include the appearance of the first replicating molecules, the emergence of co-operative animal societies, and the unique language ability of humans. Containing many new ideas, this book is contemporary biology on the grandest scale, from the birth of life to the origin of language.

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276

Publisher

OUP Oxford

Published Date

ISBN 10

0191647322

ISBN 13

9780191647321

Did Darwin Get It Right?

Essays on Games, Sex and Evolution

By: John Maynard Smith

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Did Darwin Get It Right?

Essays on Games, Sex and Evolution

By: John Maynard Smith

Now in paperback, Did Darwin Get It Right discusses some of the hottest issues in biology today. Its author, the eminently quotable John Maynard Smith, discusses such fascinating conundrums as how life began, whether the brain works like a computer, why most animals and plants reproduce sexually, and how social behavior evolved out of the context of natural selection--a process which would seem to favor selfishness. A humorous and insightful writer, John Maynard Smith has the special ability to convey the excitement of science, its complexity and fascination, without baffling or boring his readers. In these 28 brief and accessible essays, Maynard ranges widely over such issues as science and the media, the birth of sociobiology, the evolution of animal intelligence and the limitations of evolutionary theory. For his work on the evolution of sex, Smith won the Darwin medal from the Royal Society, and he has pioneered the application of game theory to animal behavior.

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147

Publisher

Springer

Published Date

ISBN 10

0412038218

ISBN 13

9780412038211

Evolution and the Theory of Games

By: John Maynard Smith

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Evolution and the Theory of Games

By: John Maynard Smith

This 1982 book is an account of an alternative way of thinking about evolution and the theory of games.

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244

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Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521288843

ISBN 13

9780521288842

Animal Signals

By: John Maynard Smith,Dr. David Harper

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Animal Signals

By: John Maynard Smith,Dr. David Harper

The reliability of animal signals is a central problem for evolutionary biologists. This text argues that it is maintained in several ways, relevant in different circumstances, and that biologists must learn to distinguish between them.

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184

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0198526857

ISBN 13

9780198526858

The Theory of Evolution

By: John Maynard Smith

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The Theory of Evolution

By: John Maynard Smith

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380

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Cambridge University Press

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ISBN 10

0521451280

ISBN 13

9780521451284

An Introduction to Behavioural Ecology

By: Nicholas B. Davies,John R. Krebs,Stuart A. West

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An Introduction to Behavioural Ecology

By: Nicholas B. Davies,John R. Krebs,Stuart A. West

This textbook helped to define the field of Behavioural Ecology. In this fourth edition the text has been completely revised, with new chapters and many new illustrations and full colour photographs. The theme, once again, is the influence of natural selection on behaviour – an animal's struggle to survive and reproduce by exploiting and competing for resources, avoiding predators, selecting mates and caring for offspring, – and how animal societies reflect both cooperation and conflict among individuals. Stuart A. West has joined as a co-author bringing his own perspectives and work on microbial systems into the book. Written in the same engaging and lucid style as the previous editions, the authors explain the latest theoretical ideas using examples from micro-organisms, invertebrates and vertebrates. There are boxed sections for some topics and marginal notes help guide the reader. The book is essential reading for students of behavioural ecology, animal behaviour and evolutionary biology. Key Features: Long-awaited new edition of a field-defining textbook New chapters, illustrations and colour photographs New co-author Focuses on the influence of natural selection on behavior, and how animal societies reflect both cooperation and conflict among individuals “The long-awaited update to a classic in this field is now here, presenting new directions in thinking and addressing burning questions. Richly informed by progress in many other disciplines, such as sensory physiology, genetics and evolutionary theory, it marks the emergence of behavioural ecology as a fully fledged discipline..... This is a marvellous book, written in a lucid style. A must-read for those in the field, it is also a cornucopia of new thinking for anyone interested in evolution and behaviour.” Manfred Milinski, Nature, 2012

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521

Publisher

John Wiley & Sons

Published Date

ISBN 10

1444398466

ISBN 13

9781444398465

Evolution and the Theory of Games

By: John Maynard Smith

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Evolution and the Theory of Games

By: John Maynard Smith

This 1982 book is an account of an alternative way of thinking about evolution and the theory of games.

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244

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Cambridge University Press

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ISBN 10

0521288843

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9780521288842

The Behavioural Biology of Aggression

By: John Archer

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The Behavioural Biology of Aggression

By: John Archer

Part of a new multidisciplinary series examining the functions and evolution of behaviour, this book aims to elucidate the general principles underlying animal aggression. The work divides forms of aggression according to function, examining different species, sexes and life cycle stages.

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276

Publisher

CUP Archive

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521347904

ISBN 13

9780521347907

Animal Signals

By: John Maynard Smith,Dr. David Harper

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Animal Signals

By: John Maynard Smith,Dr. David Harper

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184

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0198526857

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9780198526858

Niche Construction

The Neglected Process in Evolution (MPB-37)

By: F. John Odling-Smee,Kevin N. Lala,Marcus Feldman

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Niche Construction

The Neglected Process in Evolution (MPB-37)

By: F. John Odling-Smee,Kevin N. Lala,Marcus Feldman

The seemingly innocent observation that the activities of organisms bring about changes in environments is so obvious that it seems an unlikely focus for a new line of thinking about evolution. Yet niche construction--as this process of organism-driven environmental modification is known--has hidden complexities. By transforming biotic and abiotic sources of natural selection in external environments, niche construction generates feedback in evolution on a scale hitherto underestimated--and in a manner that transforms the evolutionary dynamic. It also plays a critical role in ecology, supporting ecosystem engineering and influencing the flow of energy and nutrients through ecosystems. Despite this, niche construction has been given short shrift in theoretical biology, in part because it cannot be fully understood within the framework of standard evolutionary theory. Wedding evolution and ecology, this book extends evolutionary theory by formally including niche construction and ecological inheritance as additional evolutionary processes. The authors support their historic move with empirical data, theoretical population genetics, and conceptual models. They also describe new research methods capable of testing the theory. They demonstrate how their theory can resolve long-standing problems in ecology, particularly by advancing the sorely needed synthesis of ecology and evolution, and how it offers an evolutionary basis for the human sciences. Already hailed as a pioneering work by some of the world's most influential biologists, this is a rare, potentially field-changing contribution to the biological sciences.

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489

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1400847265

ISBN 13

9781400847266

The Return of Nature

Socialism and Ecology

By: John Bellamy Foster

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The Return of Nature

Socialism and Ecology

By: John Bellamy Foster

Winner, 2020 Isaac and Tamara Deutscher Memorial Prize A fascinating reinterpretation of the radical and socialist origins of ecology Twenty years ago, John Bellamy Foster’s Marx’s Ecology: Materialism and Nature introduced a new understanding of Karl Marx’s revolutionary ecological materialism. More than simply a study of Marx, it commenced an intellectual and social history, encompassing thinkers from Epicurus to Darwin, who developed materialist and ecological ideas. Now, with The Return of Nature: Socialism and Ecology, Foster continues this narrative. In so doing, he uncovers a long history of the efforts to unite questions of social justice and environmental sustainability, and helps us comprehend and counter today’s unprecedented planetary emergencies. The Return of Nature begins with the deaths of Darwin (1882) and Marx (1883) and moves on until the rise of the ecological age in the 1960s and 1970s. Foster explores how socialist analysts and materialist scientists of various stamps, first in Britain, then the United States, from William Morris and Frederick Engels, to Joseph Needham, Rachel Carson, and Stephen J. Gould, sought to develop a dialectical naturalism, rooted in a critique of capitalism. In the process, he delivers a far-reaching and fascinating reinterpretation of the radical and socialist origins of ecology. Ultimately, what this book asks for is nothing short of revolution: a long, ecological revolution, aimed at making peace with the planet while meeting collective human needs.

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688

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Monthly Review Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1583679286

ISBN 13

9781583679289

Geographic Variation, Speciation and Clines. (MPB-10), Volume 10

By: John A. Endler

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Geographic Variation, Speciation and Clines. (MPB-10), Volume 10

By: John A. Endler

Geographic Variation, Speciation and Clines explores the origins and development of geographic variation, divergence, and speciation. In particular it is concerned with genetic divergence as it is usually found on continents, among groups of populations isolated only by distance. Although earlier writers on this topic considered the effects of geography and dispersal, intense geographic differentiation and speciation were thought to require complete isolation. Professor Endler shows how geographic differentiation and speciation may develop in spite of continuous gene flow. Following a review of the diverse and scattered literature on gene flow and population differentiation, the author discusses the relationships among gene flow, dispersal, and migration. He then summarizes the factors which limit the geographic extent of gene flow, and those which allow steep clines to develop in the absence of barriers to gene flow. His analysis draws on examples from the field, experiments, and single- and multiple-locus models. The mechanism and conditions for parapatric speciation are presented: steepening clines, development into hybrid zones, and the evolution of sexual isolation. In the final chapter the author considers the interpretation of natural clines and the associated geographic patterns of subspecies and species.

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262

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691209456

ISBN 13

9780691209456

Not by Design

Retiring Darwin’s Watchmaker

By: John Reiss

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Not by Design

Retiring Darwin’s Watchmaker

By: John Reiss

More than two centuries ago, William Paley introduced his famous metaphor of the universe as a watch made by the Creator. For Paley, the exquisite structure of the universe necessitated a designer. Today, some 150 years since Darwin's On the Origin of Species was published, the argument of design is seeing a revival. This provocative work tells how Darwin left the door open for this revival--and at the same time argues for a new conceptual framework that avoids the problematic teleology inherent in Darwin's formulation of natural selection. In a wide-ranging discussion of the historical and philosophical dimensions of evolutionary theory from the ancient Greeks to today, John Reiss argues that we should look to the principle of the conditions for existence, first formulated before On the Origin of Species by the French paleontologist Georges Cuvier, to clarify the relation of adaptation to evolution. Reiss suggests that Cuvier's principle can help resolve persistent issues in evolutionary biology, including the proper definition of natural selection, the distinction between natural selection and genetic drift, and the meaning of genetic load. Moreover, he shows how this principle can help unite diverse areas of biology, ranging from quantitative genetics and the theory of the levels of selection to evo-devo, ecology, physiology, and conservation biology.

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441

Publisher

Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520944402

ISBN 13

9780520944404

Models of Adaptive Behaviour

An Approach Based on State

By: Alasdair I. Houston,John M. McNamara

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Models of Adaptive Behaviour

An Approach Based on State

By: Alasdair I. Houston,John M. McNamara

Models of Adaptive Behaviour sets out a framework for adaptive explanations of behaviour, and applies this to give analyses of a range of biological issues such as energetic gain, energy-predation trade-offs, dynamic games, state-dependent life histories, annual routines and fluctuating environments. It gives a definitive account of this exciting field, summarizing previous research, presenting material and suggesting directions for research. Organisms differ in terms of their state - for example in their size, energy relations or temperature - which often affects their behaviour. The framework adopted in this book takes this into account, and provides a common currency for comparing diverse actions. Ultimately this could lead to the development of state-dependent dynamic models. This book will be a revelation for graduate students and researchers interested in behavioural or evolutionary biology.

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392

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Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521655390

ISBN 13

9780521655392

Foraging Theory

By: David W. Stephens,John R. Krebs

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Foraging Theory

By: David W. Stephens,John R. Krebs

This account of the current state of foraging theory is also a valuable description of the use of optimality theory in behavioral ecology in general. Organizing and introducing the main research themes in economic analyses of animal feeding behavior, the authors analyze the empirical evidence bearing on foraging models and answer criticisms of optimality modeling. They explain the rationale for applying optimality models to the strategies and mechanics of foraging and present the basic "average-rate maximizing" models and their extensions. The work discusses new directions in foraging research: incorporating incomplete information and risk-sensitive behavior in foraging models; analyzing trade-offs, such as nutrient requirements and the threat of being eaten while foraging; formulating dynamic models; and building constrained optimization models that assume that foragers can use only simple "rules of thumb." As an analysis of these and earlier research developments and as a contribution to debates about the role of theory in evolutionary biology. Foraging Theory will appeal to a wide range of readers, from students to research professionals, in behavioral ecology, population and community ecology, animal behavior, and animal psychology, and especially to those planning empirical tests of foraging models.

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263

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691206791

ISBN 13

9780691206790

Shaping Life

Genes, Embryos, and Evolution

By: John Maynard Smith,John Smith

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Shaping Life

Genes, Embryos, and Evolution

By: John Maynard Smith,John Smith

During the past ten years, there has been a revolution in our understanding of developmental biology, as scientists apply the ideas and techniques of genetics and embryology to the processes of development. In this book, John Maynard Smith gives an account of the progress that has been made in this field -- in our knowledge of both the development of individuals and the evolution of the species. Maynard Smith points out that there is a parallel between the developmental changes that convert an egg into an adult and the evolutionary changes converted simple single-celled ancestors into the existing array of multicellular animals and plants. Genetic studies provide the necessary link between development and evolution: natural selection explains how information is incorporated in the genome, and development shows what use is made of it during the development of each individual. Traditionally, two very different views have been held about development. Maynard Smith argues that the differences between them are not so much scientific as ideological -- one can be considered reductionist and the other holistic. But because of advances in the science underpinning both viewpoints, he says, the possibility of a dialogue between them is great, which will be beneficial to the entire discipline.

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Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300080220

ISBN 13

9780300080223

Ethology and Human Development

By: John Archer

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Ethology and Human Development

By: John Archer

Evaluates the results of several decades of ethological work on developmental psychology. It looks at human development from the context of the natural world, thereby re-establishing the links, begun with Charles Darwin, between research on child development and animal behaviour.

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296

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield

Published Date

ISBN 10

0389209961

ISBN 13

9780389209966

Comparative Ecology of Microorganisms and Macroorganisms

By: John H. Andrews

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Comparative Ecology of Microorganisms and Macroorganisms

By: John H. Andrews

This second edition textbook offers an expanded conceptual synthesis of microbial ecology with plant and animal ecology. Drawing on examples from the biology of microorganisms and macroorganisms, this textbook provides a much-needed interdisciplinary approach to ecology. The focus is the individual organism and comparisons are made along six axes: genetic variation, nutritional mode, size, growth, life cycle, and influence of the environment. When it was published in 1991, the first edition of Comparative Ecology of Microorganisms and Macroorganisms was unique in its attempt to clearly compare fundamental ecology across the gamut of size. The explosion of molecular biology and the application of its techniques to microbiology and organismal biology have particularly demonstrated the need for interdisciplinary understanding. This updated and expanded edition remains unique. It treats the same topics at greater depth and includes an exhaustive compilation of both the most recent relevant literature in microbial ecology and plant/animal ecology, as well as the early research papers that shaped the concepts and theories discussed. Among the completely updated topics in the book are phylogenetic systematics, search algorithms and optimal foraging theory, comparative metabolism, the origins of life and evolution of multicellularity, and the evolution of life cycles. From Reviews of the First Edition: "John Andrews has succeeded admirably in building a bridge that is accessible to all ecologists." -Ecology "I recommend this book to all ecologists. It is a thoughtful attempt to integrate ideas from, and develop common themes for, two fields of ecology that should not have become fragmented." -American Scientist "Such a synthesis is long past due, and it is shameful that ecologists (both big and little) have been so parochial." -The Quarterly Review of Biology

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365

Publisher

Springer

Published Date

ISBN 10

1493968971

ISBN 13

9781493968978

Demographic Toxicity

Methods in Ecological Risk Assessment (with CD-ROM)

By: H. Resit Akcakaya,John D. Stark,Todd S. Bridges

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Demographic Toxicity

Methods in Ecological Risk Assessment (with CD-ROM)

By: H. Resit Akcakaya,John D. Stark,Todd S. Bridges

This edited volume collects population and metapopulation models for a wide variety of species, focusing on the use of models in population-level risk assessment for toxins. Each chapter of Demographic Toxicity describes the application of a population model to one species, with the aim of demonstrating how various life history characteristics of the species are incorporated into the model, how ecotoxicological impacts are modeled, and how the results of the model has been or can be used in risk assessment. The model in each chapter is implemented in RAMAS software, which uses matrix modeling of population dynamics. RAMAS software is believed to be the most powerful tool ever invented for this task.Demographic Toxicity includes a CD that contains a demo version of the program and the data files for each species. The book explains how to use these specific tools for modeling, analysis, and interpretation of data. Demographic Toxicity provides a major review of current knowledge on population dynamics in different species, representing both terrestrial and aquatic environments.

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288

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0190450347

ISBN 13

9780190450342

Evolution and Human Behavior

Darwinian Perspectives on Human Nature

By: John Cartwright

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Evolution and Human Behavior

Darwinian Perspectives on Human Nature

By: John Cartwright

The book covers fundamental issues such as the origins and function of sexual reproduction, mating behavior, human mate choice, patterns of violence in families, altruistic behavior, the evolution of brain size and the origins of language, the modular mind, and the relationship between genes and culture.

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406

Publisher

MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0262531704

ISBN 13

9780262531702

Modern Humans

Their African Origin and Global Dispersal

By: John F. Hoffecker

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Modern Humans

Their African Origin and Global Dispersal

By: John F. Hoffecker

Modern Humans is a vivid account of the most recent—and perhaps the most important—phase of human evolution: the appearance of anatomically modern people (Homo sapiens) in Africa less than half a million years ago and their later spread throughout the world. Leaving no stone unturned, John F. Hoffecker demonstrates that Homo sapiens represents a “major transition” in the evolution of living systems in terms of fundamental changes in the role of non-genetic information. Modern Humans synthesizes recent findings from genetics (including the rapidly growing body of ancient DNA), the human fossil record, and archaeology relating to the African origin and global dispersal of anatomically modern people. Hoffecker places humans in the broad context of the evolution of life, emphasizing the critical role of genetic and non-genetic forms of information in living systems as well as how changes in the storage, transmission, and translation of information underlie major transitions in evolution. He also draws on information and complexity theory to explain the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa several hundred thousand years ago and the rapid and unprecedented spread of our species into a variety of environments in Australia and Eurasia, including the Arctic and Beringia, beginning between 75,000 and 60,000 years ago. This magisterial work will appeal to all with an interest in the ever-fascinating field of human evolution.

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362

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Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0231543743

ISBN 13

9780231543743

Hunger

The Biology and Politics of Starvation

By: John R. Butterly,Jack Shepherd

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Hunger

The Biology and Politics of Starvation

By: John R. Butterly,Jack Shepherd

A timely and provocative look at the role political developments and the biology of nutrition play in world famine

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349

Publisher

UPNE

Published Date

ISBN 10

1584659505

ISBN 13

9781584659501

The Artful Universe Expanded

By: John Barrow

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The Artful Universe Expanded

By: John Barrow

In The Artful Universe (OUP, 1995) John D. Barrow explored the close ties between our aesthetic appreciation and the basic nature of the Universe, challenging the commonly held view that our sense of beauty is entirely free and unfettered. It looked at some of the unexpected ways in which the structure of the Universe, its laws, its environments, and above all its underlying mathematical structure imprints itself on our thoughts, our aesthetic preferences, and our views about the nature of things. The exploration embraced topics such as perspective; the size of things and the origins of aesthetics; computer art (posing the question: is it art?); and the origins of our susceptibility to music. Life sales of the hardback totalled just over 25,000 copies. The study of the evolutionary and mathematical underpinnings of our aesthetic sense, and our understanding of the nature and scale of the universe has grown over the past decade, with developments in evolutionary psychology, and in cosmology. This paperback of the revised edition (OUP, 2005) contains eight new sections covering the recent discoveries of extrasolar planets, fashionable postmodernist rejection of science as uncovering objective reality, growing understanding of key ratios appearing in biological relationships, and studies of the underlying mathematical structure of a Pollock painting.

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591

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OUP Oxford

Published Date

ISBN 10

0191615838

ISBN 13

9780191615832

Molecular Ecology and Evolution

The Organismal Side : Selected Writings from the Avise Laboratory

By: John C. Avise

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Molecular Ecology and Evolution

The Organismal Side : Selected Writings from the Avise Laboratory

By: John C. Avise

This volume is a reprinted collection of 69 ?classics? from the Avise laboratory, chosen to illustrate a trademark brand of research that harnesses molecular markers to scientific studies of natural history and evolution in the wild. Spanning the early 1970s through the late 2000s, these articles trace how the author and his colleagues have used molecular genetics techniques to address multifarious conceptual topics in genetics, ecology, and evolution, in a fascinating menagerie of creatures with oft-peculiar lifestyles. The organisms described in this volume range from blind cavefish to male-pregnant pipefishes and sea spiders, from clonal armadillos to natal-homing marine turtles, from hermaphroditic sea snails to hybridizing monkeys and tree frogs, from clonal marine sponges to pseudohermaphroditic mollusks to introgressing oysters, and from endangered pocket gophers, terrapins, and sparrows to unisexual (all-female) fish species to ?living-fossil? horseshoe crabs, and even to a strange little fish that routinely mates with itself. The conceptual and molecular topics addressed in this volume are also universal, ranging from punctuated equilibrium to coalescent theory to the need for greater standardization in taxonomy, from cytonuclear disequilibrium statistics to the ideas of speciation duration and sympatric speciation, from historical population demography to phylogenetic reconstructions of males' sexual ornaments, from the population genetic consequences of inbreeding to Pleistocene effects on phylogeography, and from the molecular underpinnings of null alleles to the notion of clustered mutations that arise in groups to compelling empirical evidence for the unanticipated processes of gene conversion and concerted evolution in animal mitochondrial DNA. Overall, this collection includes many of the best, most influential, sometimes controversial, occasionally provocative, always intriguing, or otherwise entertaining publications to have emerged from the Avise laboratory over the last four decades. Thus, this book conveys, through the eyes of one of the field's longstanding pioneers, what ?the organismal side? of molecular ecology and evolution really means.

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584

Publisher

World Scientific

Published Date

ISBN 10

9814317756

ISBN 13

9789814317757

Niche Construction

How Life Contributes to Its Own Evolution

By: John Odling-Smee

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Niche Construction

How Life Contributes to Its Own Evolution

By: John Odling-Smee

How niche construction theory extends evolutionary theory beyond natural selection to a more general theory about the coevolution of organisms with their environments. In Niche Construction, John Odling-Smee, the leading authority on niche construction theory, extends evolutionary theory from an explanation of how populations of organisms respond to natural selection pressures in their environments to a more general theory about the coevolution of organisms with their environments. Organisms, he shows, cause changes in their local external environments by interacting with them, thereby contributing in fundamental ways to their own and one another’s evolution. This book applies niche construction theory to current problems such as human-induced global warming and suggests how humans might contribute positively to the future evolution of life on Earth. Odling-Smee explains how orthodox evolutionary theory falls short in two ways. First, it does not describe how organisms contribute to their own and one another’s evolution through their environment-changing niche constructing activities. Second, it fails to explain how genetic evolution can give rise to supplementary knowledge-gaining processes in many species. These include certain developmental processes in individual organisms and socio-cultural processes in animals, including humans. Neo-Darwinism, the author writes, assesses the fitness of individual organisms in populations in terms of their capacity to survive and reproduce, but without attributing these capacities to the active, purposeful agency of organisms. He argues that the purposeful agency of individual organisms plays a central role in evolution. He also discusses the relationship of an organism’s energy-consuming activities and the second law of thermodynamics.

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409

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MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0262378892

ISBN 13

9780262378895

Fungal Populations and Species

By: John Harrison Burnett

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Fungal Populations and Species

By: John Harrison Burnett

The population genetics and speciation of fungi is a rapidly developing field, heavily dependent upon the use of molecular markers. This text describes the methodologies employed in this area and, for the benefit of the non-mycological reader, a brief introduction to basic fungal biology.

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372

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Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0198515537

ISBN 13

9780198515531

Asymmetry, Developmental Stability and Evolution

By: Anders Pape MØller,John P. Swaddle

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Asymmetry, Developmental Stability and Evolution

By: Anders Pape MØller,John P. Swaddle

Why does nature love symmetry? In Asymmetry, Developmental Stability and Evolution, M--oslash--;ller and Swaddle analyse the evolutionary implications of symmetry. They advance and explain their theory that asymmetry is related to genetic stability and fitness, and that symmetric individuals appear to have quantifiable and significant advantages over their asymmetric counterparts. When assessing potential mates or competitors, animals may be able to use symmetry as an honest indication of quality. This interdisciplinary book, with its associated Web-site, will be of interest to students and researchers in the fields of ecology, evolutionary biology, genetics, and animal behaviour. - ;Why does nature love symmetry? In Asymmetry, Developmental Stability and Evolution, M--oslash--;ller and Swaddle analyse the evolutionary implications of symmetry. They advance and explain their theory that symmetry is related to genetic stability and fitness, and that symmetric individuals appear to have quantifiable and significant advantages over their asymmetric counterparts. When assessing potential mates or competitors, animals may be able to use symmetry as an honest indication of quality. This interdisciplinary book, with its associated Web-site, will be of interest to students and researchers in the fields of ecology, evolutionary biology, genetics, and animal behaviour. -

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306

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Oxford University Press, UK

Published Date

ISBN 10

019158939X

ISBN 13

9780191589393

Models in Ecology

By: John Maynard-Smith

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Models in Ecology

By: John Maynard-Smith

This book is aimed at anyone with a serious interest in ecology. Ecological models of two kinds are dealt with: mathematical models of a strategic kind aimed at an understanding of the general properties of ecosystems and laboratory models designed with the same aim in view. The mathematical and experimental models illuminate one another. A strength of the account is that although there is a good deal of mathematics, Professor Maynard Smith has concentrated on making clear the assumptions behind the mathematics and the conclusions to be drawn. Proofs and derivations have been omitted as far as possible. The book is therefore comprehensible to anyone with a minimal familiarity with mathematical notation. This book was written in the twin convictions that ecology will not come of age until it has a sound theoretical basis and there is a long way to go before that state of affairs is reached.

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164

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Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521202620

ISBN 13

9780521202626

Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

An Introduction

By: Gerald Gaus,John Thrasher

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Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

An Introduction

By: Gerald Gaus,John Thrasher

An updated and expanded edition of the classic introduction to PPE—philosophy, politics, and economics—coauthored by one of the field’s pioneers Philosophy, Politics, and Economics offers a complete introduction to the fundamental tools and concepts of analysis that PPE students need to study social and political issues. This fully updated and expanded edition examines the core methodologies of rational choice, strategic analysis, norms, and collective choice that serve as the bedrocks of political philosophy and the social sciences. The textbook is ideal for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and nonspecialists looking to familiarize themselves with PPE’s approaches. Starting with individual choice, the book develops an account of rationality to introduce readers to decision theory, utility theory, and concepts of welfare economics and consumer choice theory. It moves to strategic choice in game theory to explore such issues as bargaining theory, repeated games, and evolutionary game theory. The text also considers how social norms can be understood, observed, and measured. Concluding chapters address collective choice, social choice theory and democracy, and public choice theory’s connections to voters, representatives, and institutions. Rigorous and comprehensive, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics continues to be an essential text for this popular and burgeoning field. The only book that covers the entirety of PPE methods A rigorous, nontechnical introduction to decision theory, game theory, and positive political theory A philosophical introduction to rational choice theory in the social sciences

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338

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

069121980X

ISBN 13

9780691219806

Game Theory in Biology

Concepts and Frontiers

By: John M. McNamara,Olof Leimar

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Game Theory in Biology

Concepts and Frontiers

By: John M. McNamara,Olof Leimar

This novel reassessment of the field presents the central concepts in evolutionary game theory and provides an authoritative and up-to-date account. The focus is on concepts that are important for biologists in their attempts to explain observations. This strong connection between concepts and applications is a recurrent theme throughout the book.

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353

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0198815778

ISBN 13

9780198815778

Agricultural Sustainability and Environmental Change at Ancient Gordion

Gordion Special Studies 8

By: John M. Marston

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Agricultural Sustainability and Environmental Change at Ancient Gordion

Gordion Special Studies 8

By: John M. Marston

This book publishes the results of 220 botanical samples from the 1993-2002 Gordion excavations directed by Mary Voigt. Together with Naomi Miller's 2010 volume (Gordion Special Studies 5), this book completes the publication of botanical samples from Voigt's excavations. The book aims to reconstruct agricultural decision making using archaeological and paleoenvironmental data from Gordion to describe environmental and agricultural changes at the site. John M. Marston argues that different political and economic systems implemented over time at Gordion resulted in patterns of agricultural decision making that were well adapted to the social setting of farmers in each period, but that these practices had divergent environmental impacts, with some regimes sponsoring sustainable agricultural practices and others leading to significant environmental change. The implications of this book are twofold: Gordion will now be one of the best published agricultural datasets from the entire Near East and, thus, serve as a valuable comparable dataset for regional synthesis of agricultural and environmental change, and the methods the author developed to reconstruct agricultural change at Gordion serves as tools to engage questions about the relationship between social and environmental change at sites worldwide. Other books address similar themes but none in the Near East address these themes in diachronic perspective such as we have at Gordion. University Museum Monograph, 145

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224

Publisher

University of Pennsylvania Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

193453692X

ISBN 13

9781934536926

Book's by John Maynard Smith

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