Nigel R. Franks's Books

Social Evolution in Ants

By: Andrew F.G. Bourke,Nigel R. Franks

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Biologists since Darwin have been intrigued and confounded by the complex issues involved in the evolution and ecology of the social behavior of insects. The self-sacrifice of sterile workers in ant colonies has been particularly difficult for evolutionary biologists to explain. In this important new book, Andrew Bourke and Nigel Franks not only present a detailed overview of the current state of scientific knowledge about social evolution in ants, but also show how studies on ants have contributed to an understanding of many fundamental topics in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology. One of the substantial contributions of Social Evolution in Ants is its clear explanation of kin selection theory and sex ratio theory and their applications to social evolution in insects. Working to dispel lingering skepticism about the validity of kin selection and, more broadly, of "selfish gene" theory, Bourke and Franks show how these ideas underpin the evolution of both cooperation and conflict within ant societies. In addition, using simple algebra, they provide detailed explanations of key mathematical models. Finally, the authors discuss two relatively little-known topics in ant social biology: life history strategy and mating systems. This comprehensive, up-to-date, and well-referenced work will appeal to all researchers in social insect biology and to scholars and students in the fields of entomology, behavioral ecology, and evolution.

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544

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691206899

ISBN 13

9780691206899

Invertebrate Learning and Memory

Chapter 40. Learning and Decision Making in a Social Context

By: Nigel R. Franks,Ana B. Sendova-Franks

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Invertebrate Learning and Memory

Chapter 40. Learning and Decision Making in a Social Context

By: Nigel R. Franks,Ana B. Sendova-Franks

We consider issues of social learning in insect societies. Specifically, we review two controversial cases: (1) teaching during tandem running in the rock ant Temnothorax albipennis and (2) colony-level learning during repeated emigrations in the same species. We have selected these examples for several reasons. First, we wish to highlight the value of using insects as model systems for studying social learning in general. Second, these cases serve as an antidote to the notion that social learning requires theories of mind. Third, social insects provide ideal experimental systems for the rigorous examination of the causes and consequences of social learning. We believe our findings and conclusions are important to those interested in social learning in humans, other vertebrates, and invertebrates because they may suggest that in these systems too social learning can occur in the absence of theories of mind.

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Elsevier Inc. Chapters

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ISBN 10

0128071885

ISBN 13

9780128071885

Self-Organization in Biological Systems

By: Scott Camazine,Jean-Louis Deneubourg,Nigel R. Franks,James Sneyd,Guy Theraulaz,Eric Bonabeau

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Self-Organization in Biological Systems

By: Scott Camazine,Jean-Louis Deneubourg,Nigel R. Franks,James Sneyd,Guy Theraulaz,Eric Bonabeau

The synchronized flashing of fireflies at night. The spiraling patterns of an aggregating slime mold. The anastomosing network of army-ant trails. The coordinated movements of a school of fish. Researchers are finding in such patterns--phenomena that have fascinated naturalists for centuries--a fertile new approach to understanding biological systems: the study of self-organization. This book, a primer on self-organization in biological systems for students and other enthusiasts, introduces readers to the basic concepts and tools for studying self-organization and then examines numerous examples of self-organization in the natural world. Self-organization refers to diverse pattern formation processes in the physical and biological world, from sand grains assembling into rippled dunes to cells combining to create highly structured tissues to individual insects working to create sophisticated societies. What these diverse systems hold in common is the proximate means by which they acquire order and structure. In self-organizing systems, pattern at the global level emerges solely from interactions among lower-level components. Remarkably, even very complex structures result from the iteration of surprisingly simple behaviors performed by individuals relying on only local information. This striking conclusion suggests important lines of inquiry: To what degree is environmental rather than individual complexity responsible for group complexity? To what extent have widely differing organisms adopted similar, convergent strategies of pattern formation? How, specifically, has natural selection determined the rules governing interactions within biological systems? Broad in scope, thorough yet accessible, this book is a self-contained introduction to self-organization and complexity in biology--a field of study at the forefront of life sciences research.

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548

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Princeton University Press

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ISBN 10

0691212929

ISBN 13

9780691212920

Book's by Nigel R. Franks

Social Evolution in Ants

Social Evolution in Ants

Invertebrate Learning and Memory

Invertebrate Learning and Memory

Self-Organization in Biological Systems

Self-Organization in Biological Systems

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