- Email: [email protected]
Behaviour and Evolution
BOOK times in the past century. Thompson’s book is aimed at strengthening that connection. As the title of this volume suggests,its primary focus is on the process of coevolution, not macroevolutionary patterns. My feeling is that the microevolutionary approach advanced by Thompson should be used in conjunction with a macroevolutionary anaIysis of these interactions’, employing phyl@ genetic and biogeographic methods, to obtain a more complete picture of the patterns and processes of coevolution.
those of Krebs and Davies, with Harvey’s
I 1strategies chapter alone, for instance, cover-
ing six Krebs and Davies chapters in its accounts of fitness, optimal foraging, sexual selection,mating systems,cooperative breed1ing, modelling and ESSs.Thus, the books very nicely complement one another: Slater and Halliday is the perfect introduction to the Krebs and Davies series. The latest Krebs and Davies has for the first time a chapter on humans3, whereas humans are barely mentioned in Behauiour and Evolution. Darwin died having persuaded John Jaenike most of the scientific world that evolution occurred, having persuaded far fewer that Dept of Biology, University of Rochester, humans were part of the process, and having Rochester, NY 14627, USA persuaded almost none of them of the importance of natural selection as the process References 1 Brooks, D.R. and McClennan, D.A. (1991) by which evolution normally occurred2*4.That Phylogeny, Ecology, and Behavior: a Research understanding did not come for over half a Program in Comparative Biology, University of century*. A horrifying proportion of the litChicago Press erate Western world still does not believe that humans evolved5, and 1am in a departmental discipline where many almost ab solutely reject the idea of genetic influences on human behaviour. The reasons range from a misunderstanding of what it means to say that behaviour is genetically influenced, through a lack of understanding that any one behaviour can be explained at several Behaviour and Evolution different levels, to a deep dislike of the idea edited by that ‘darwinian’ competitive ability is the root P.J.B. Slater and T.R. Halliday to success. Geneticists too have sometimes Cambridge University Press, 1994. not liked the carefree way in which evolf37.50 hbk, f16.95 pbk (x + 348 pages) utionary behaviourists talked about genes ISBN 0 52142923 4/O 52141858 5 for behaviours. Inheritance of competitive ability is perhe cover photograph is of a male pea- haps the briefest possible way to explain the cock with its tail spread in all its glory. core process of evolution. Behaviour and Sexual selection is the name of the game Euolution’s genetics chapter (Hoffmann) da in studies of behaviour and evolution now- scribes nice demonstrations of the fact that adays, and the peacock is a particularly some measures of competitive ability really appropriate symbol, given Petrie’s recent do seem to correlate with the activity of proof of the longstanding good-genes hy- single genes acting in a mendelian fashion. A pothesis for females’ choice of colourful more recent study shows how fire-ant social males’. Yet sexual selection is in fact only a system correlates with the presence or abvery small part of the field, and therefore of sence of a single allele: single-queen colonies have it; multi-queen ones do [email protected] this book. Behaoiour and Euolution is a collection of mechanism is still unknown, but must be reviews written for advanced undergradusimple (presence/absence of a pheromone, ates, graduates and the rest of us who need for instance?, and indeed social systems incisive, easy, up-to-date means of intro- (Lee) are the place to go to see how simple duction to specialities that are not our own. starting rules can produce otherwise bewilIt appears to have been modelled on the dering complexity in the end-product (see famous Krebs and Davies edited series, even also Refs 7,8). down to the typesetting, though the many The geneticists did not want to hear drawings by Priscilla Barrett add the sense behaviourists speculate about genes for beof natural history that is the basis to so much haviours until the genes had been identified. Speculation also sometimes runs beyond good evolutionary biology*. Eight chapters address the relation between behavioural data when we consider the evolution of cogevolution and genetics (Ary Hoffmann), nitive abilitiesg. In this context, is the despeciation (Roger Butlin, Michael Ritchie), scription (Byrne) of subordinate copulating phylogeny (John Gittleman, Denise Decker), gorillas ‘suppressing’ their copulatory calls strategies (Ian Harvey), sex (Tim Halliday), (to hide the copulation from the dominant altruism (Peter Slater), intelligence (Dick male), when they might have been more Byrne) and social structure (Phyllis Lee). parsimoniously described as merely being The reviews paint broader strokes than do frightened into silence, implying more
Genes and behaviour
T
TREE
vol.
IO,
no.
4 April
1995
REVIEWS
by the animals than is warranted? I ’peasoning 4ltruism is another area where, as Slater describes, an almost desperate search for reciprocity among animals has led to sevoral claims for complexity when far simpler explanations exist. But then Darwin was per:eived as taking interpretation way beyond :he data. Darwin and his main scientific colleagues, detractors and supporters alike, were all male. Behaviour and Evolution is a stimulating read. I hope that it attracts more people to the subject, for then its authorship might evolve from the current 8:2 ratio of males to females to a more equitable balance. Alexander Dept
H. Harcourt
of Anthropology, University Davis, CA 95616-8522,
of California, USA
/I
References 1 Petrie, M. (1994) Nature 371,598-599 2 Mayr, E. (1991) One LongArgument: Charles 3
Danuin and the Genesis of Modem Evolutionary Thought, Harvard University Press Borgerhoff Mulder, M. (1991) in Behavioural Ecology: An Evolutionary Approach (Krebs,J.R.
and Davies, N.B., eds), pp. 69-103, Blackwell 4 Desmond, A. and Moore, J. (1991) Darwin, Michael Joseph 5 Short, R.V. (1994) Trends Ecol. Evol. 9, 275
Ross, KG. (1992) Nature 355,347-349 Davies, N.B. (1991) in Behavioural Ecology: An Evolutionary Approach (Krebs, J.R. and Davies, N.B., eds), pp. 263-294, Blackwell 8 Glutton-Brock, T.H. (1989) Proc. R. Sot. London
6 7
Ser. B 236,339-372
9 Kennedy, J.S.(1992) The New Anthropomotphism, Cambridge University Press
Morphology and ecology Diversity and Evolutionary Biology of Tropical Flowers by Peter K. Endress Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Tropical Biology Series, 1994. $55.00 hbk (xiv + 5 11 pages) ISBN 0 521420881
T
ropical families include most of the known diversity of flower structure. Flower structure can be studied from a variety of vantage points - evolution, pollination, morphology, development and physiology - each of which has produced an extensive literature. In addition, during the past few years, there has been a blossoming of interest in a few model species that have allowed botanists to dissect developmental processes at the molecular and genetic levels. Interest in pollination and the
175
those of Krebs and Davies, with Harvey’s
I 1strategies chapter alone, for instance, cover-
ing six Krebs and Davies chapters in its accounts of fitness, optimal foraging, sexual selection,mating systems,cooperative breed1ing, modelling and ESSs.Thus, the books very nicely complement one another: Slater and Halliday is the perfect introduction to the Krebs and Davies series. The latest Krebs and Davies has for the first time a chapter on humans3, whereas humans are barely mentioned in Behauiour and Evolution. Darwin died having persuaded John Jaenike most of the scientific world that evolution occurred, having persuaded far fewer that Dept of Biology, University of Rochester, humans were part of the process, and having Rochester, NY 14627, USA persuaded almost none of them of the importance of natural selection as the process References 1 Brooks, D.R. and McClennan, D.A. (1991) by which evolution normally occurred2*4.That Phylogeny, Ecology, and Behavior: a Research understanding did not come for over half a Program in Comparative Biology, University of century*. A horrifying proportion of the litChicago Press erate Western world still does not believe that humans evolved5, and 1am in a departmental discipline where many almost ab solutely reject the idea of genetic influences on human behaviour. The reasons range from a misunderstanding of what it means to say that behaviour is genetically influenced, through a lack of understanding that any one behaviour can be explained at several Behaviour and Evolution different levels, to a deep dislike of the idea edited by that ‘darwinian’ competitive ability is the root P.J.B. Slater and T.R. Halliday to success. Geneticists too have sometimes Cambridge University Press, 1994. not liked the carefree way in which evolf37.50 hbk, f16.95 pbk (x + 348 pages) utionary behaviourists talked about genes ISBN 0 52142923 4/O 52141858 5 for behaviours. Inheritance of competitive ability is perhe cover photograph is of a male pea- haps the briefest possible way to explain the cock with its tail spread in all its glory. core process of evolution. Behaviour and Sexual selection is the name of the game Euolution’s genetics chapter (Hoffmann) da in studies of behaviour and evolution now- scribes nice demonstrations of the fact that adays, and the peacock is a particularly some measures of competitive ability really appropriate symbol, given Petrie’s recent do seem to correlate with the activity of proof of the longstanding good-genes hy- single genes acting in a mendelian fashion. A pothesis for females’ choice of colourful more recent study shows how fire-ant social males’. Yet sexual selection is in fact only a system correlates with the presence or abvery small part of the field, and therefore of sence of a single allele: single-queen colonies have it; multi-queen ones do [email protected] this book. Behaoiour and Euolution is a collection of mechanism is still unknown, but must be reviews written for advanced undergradusimple (presence/absence of a pheromone, ates, graduates and the rest of us who need for instance?, and indeed social systems incisive, easy, up-to-date means of intro- (Lee) are the place to go to see how simple duction to specialities that are not our own. starting rules can produce otherwise bewilIt appears to have been modelled on the dering complexity in the end-product (see famous Krebs and Davies edited series, even also Refs 7,8). down to the typesetting, though the many The geneticists did not want to hear drawings by Priscilla Barrett add the sense behaviourists speculate about genes for beof natural history that is the basis to so much haviours until the genes had been identified. Speculation also sometimes runs beyond good evolutionary biology*. Eight chapters address the relation between behavioural data when we consider the evolution of cogevolution and genetics (Ary Hoffmann), nitive abilitiesg. In this context, is the despeciation (Roger Butlin, Michael Ritchie), scription (Byrne) of subordinate copulating phylogeny (John Gittleman, Denise Decker), gorillas ‘suppressing’ their copulatory calls strategies (Ian Harvey), sex (Tim Halliday), (to hide the copulation from the dominant altruism (Peter Slater), intelligence (Dick male), when they might have been more Byrne) and social structure (Phyllis Lee). parsimoniously described as merely being The reviews paint broader strokes than do frightened into silence, implying more
Genes and behaviour
T
TREE
vol.
IO,
no.
4 April
1995
REVIEWS
by the animals than is warranted? I ’peasoning 4ltruism is another area where, as Slater describes, an almost desperate search for reciprocity among animals has led to sevoral claims for complexity when far simpler explanations exist. But then Darwin was per:eived as taking interpretation way beyond :he data. Darwin and his main scientific colleagues, detractors and supporters alike, were all male. Behaviour and Evolution is a stimulating read. I hope that it attracts more people to the subject, for then its authorship might evolve from the current 8:2 ratio of males to females to a more equitable balance. Alexander Dept
H. Harcourt
of Anthropology, University Davis, CA 95616-8522,
of California, USA
/I
References 1 Petrie, M. (1994) Nature 371,598-599 2 Mayr, E. (1991) One LongArgument: Charles 3
Danuin and the Genesis of Modem Evolutionary Thought, Harvard University Press Borgerhoff Mulder, M. (1991) in Behavioural Ecology: An Evolutionary Approach (Krebs,J.R.
and Davies, N.B., eds), pp. 69-103, Blackwell 4 Desmond, A. and Moore, J. (1991) Darwin, Michael Joseph 5 Short, R.V. (1994) Trends Ecol. Evol. 9, 275
Ross, KG. (1992) Nature 355,347-349 Davies, N.B. (1991) in Behavioural Ecology: An Evolutionary Approach (Krebs, J.R. and Davies, N.B., eds), pp. 263-294, Blackwell 8 Glutton-Brock, T.H. (1989) Proc. R. Sot. London
6 7
Ser. B 236,339-372
9 Kennedy, J.S.(1992) The New Anthropomotphism, Cambridge University Press
Morphology and ecology Diversity and Evolutionary Biology of Tropical Flowers by Peter K. Endress Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Tropical Biology Series, 1994. $55.00 hbk (xiv + 5 11 pages) ISBN 0 521420881
T
ropical families include most of the known diversity of flower structure. Flower structure can be studied from a variety of vantage points - evolution, pollination, morphology, development and physiology - each of which has produced an extensive literature. In addition, during the past few years, there has been a blossoming of interest in a few model species that have allowed botanists to dissect developmental processes at the molecular and genetic levels. Interest in pollination and the
175