Publisher Description

Despite its almost universal acclaim, the authors contend that evolutionary explanations must take into account the well-established fact that in mammals and birds, the transfer of learned information is both ubiquitous and indispensable. Animal Traditions maintains the assumption that selection of genes supplies both a sufficient explanation of evolution and a true description of its course. The introduction of the behavioral inheritance system into the Darwinian explanatory scheme enables the authors to offer new interpretations for common behaviors such as maternal behaviors, behavioral conflicts within families, adoption, and helping. This approach offers a richer view of heredity and evolution, integrates developmental and evolutionary processes, suggests new lines for research, and provides a constructive alternative to both the selfish gene and meme views of the world. This book will make stimulating reading for all those interested in evolutionary biology, sociobiology, behavioral ecology, and psychology.

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. New rules for old games; 2. What is pulling the strings of behaviour?; 3. Learning and the behavioural inheritance system; 4. Parental care - the highroad to family traditions; 5. Achieving harmony between mates - the learning route; 6. Parents and offspring - too much conflict?; 7. Alloparental care - an additional channel of information transfer; 8. The origins and persistence of group legacies; 9. Darwin meets Lamarck - the co-evolution of genes and learning; 10. The free phenotype; References; Species index; Subject index.

Review

'This is a timely and thorough account of a neglected field, and will provide fascination and interest to any biologist whose horizons extend beyond the merely molecular.' Dennis Cotton, Biologist '... this well-written book is certain to fuel an interesting debate in evolutionary science.' Choice

Promotional

Offers a unified evolutionary and developmental perspective of animal behaviour, beyond the 'selfish gene'.

Promotional "Headline"

Offers a unified evolutionary and developmental perspective of animal behaviour, beyond the 'selfish gene'.

Description for Bookstore

Animal Traditions offers an alternative to both the 'selfish gene' and 'meme' views of the world for all evolutionary biologists. By showing how cultural traditions, imparting information from one generation to the next, are vital to birds and mammals, it offers a unified evolutionary and developmental perspective of animal behaviour.

Description for Library

Animal Traditions offers an alternative to both the 'selfish gene' and 'meme' views of the world for all evolutionary biologists. By showing how cultural traditions, imparting information from one generation to the next, are vital to birds and mammals, it offers a unified evolutionary and developmental perspective of animal behaviour.

Details