The evolution of communication

gent selective

by LB. Beletsky um’ C.H. Briuns University of Chicago Press, 1997. S51.95/$65.00 hbk, f17.50/L21.95 pbk (xxii + 294 pages) lSBNO2260418G7/0226041875

t is ironic that although most birds are socially monogamous, much of tbc 9esearch into avlan mating systems has been on species deviating from that pattern. This relative ueglect may stem from il mistake99 perception of monogamy iis a boringly Cooperative alternative to polygyrry polya91dry or promiscuity. In fact, nionoya~ny is often characterized not by cooperatio’, hut rathci by intense intersexual conflict, ?nti poses as many evolutionary questions as the apparently more exciting alternatives;. IHowever. we should be grateful for studics %,fdeviant polygynous systems when they I dve proved as produc*tive as those of thf two bestknown avian poly~~nists: the pie 1 flycatc!re9 of Europe and the red-winged Hackbird of North AmeriCn. The red-winged blackbird is an American growth industry. There nave been ove9 a thousand publications and several montr graphs on redwings (this is the i?li9d i9rthree years’,‘) and the central question prompting such intensive study is: why polygyny” ‘fl9(, guiding

light

in this

quest

has been the

l’olygyny ‘I’hresP9old M&el (PI%!), and si99ce redwings are among the most poly~jmous of all bird species, it is a strikir9g feature of this book that the I’TM is not explicitly discussed. Instead, Beletsky and Orians accept polygyny as a ‘given’ in redwing reproductic*n, and by doing so they avoid repetition of the admirable evalUi(m of the model fouutl in Searcy and Yasukawa’s monograph’. The authors’ neglect of the PTM is lustion two counts. First, it reflects the tact that tbc model has failed to provide a satisfiihle

factory explanation for polygyny in this (or indeed other) species. Secondly, it acknowledges the difficulty of finding simple answers given the Spiidl arid temporal variability that emerges from long-ternn WS?ilKCh Vitorts on distinct populations. ‘P’his variation can be Iright~ning or intriguing. The Mhors are intrigued and use the opportunities offered by that variation to seek explanations. 5ele”;ky aInd OriilnS focus 011reprotlurlive decision-making. They adopt proacb pioneered in Glutton-Brock

the ap ef (IL’S

classic study of red deer9 in tn eating males and females as almost separate species. This makes good sense given the strongly

diver

pressures

on each sex, ;II~

the approach is consistent with the Current emphasis of research in this field. The WCond characteristic of the book is to treat each sex’s reproductive tactics as a sen-iti~ltlS. c~xample. i91meia variulion ~‘ElleK!l;lr! ~!rowtII For

tilere

quality

i99 i9tseCl IllC~hllc: bl1;rt

Way

Iw IiIlk irtb~lr-!rlilliOll 011 t~~rr’itory available to felnales at the ti999ethat

they make settlement decisions. For nonterritorial males seeking breeding vacancies, information on territory quality and availability will depend on search patterns. This approach reflects a growing appreciation of the limited and costly 9Pature ,)f aCqui~~:td k110wIedge on featllrrs such as individual

or bahitbt quality.

-

e The pbylogenetic

Perspective

investigat-

ing the evolutionary history of the species to discern the expression of the trait with respect to its ancestral features.

opportunities

and challenges

Hauser’s

text

sets forth.

has been demonstrated. The oral rather than parenterat route of vaccine delivery is now preferred, and vaccines can induce a few years of reasonable protection from disease. The deletion of the virulence cassette along with the reinsertion of code for one of the two subunits of the cholera toxin has led to live recombined vaccines (even to the newest pathogenic strain 0139) that have been safe and effective in early trials. Mongside these rapid advances the complexity of the aquatic ecology of Vibrios has emerged. In attempts to find the site where Vibrios remain between epidemics in entlemie regions a plethora of sites and stages of

wn

asles

Alongside identification of antigens, the importance of secretory IgA in local impurity

Dept of Psychology. uwcrslty of South Alabama. Mobile. AL 36688. USA

the bacteria have bemn located. Associations with more compPex organisms such as cyanobacteria or protozoa are suggested. It has become clear that the Vibrios causing BllltlliPll (lisf ilSC ill’C Ollly OllC tMYllld1 of the l/rhrio &o/~rtle species. The main question addressed by the authors is identilying the key reservoir of ir~leclion - but sl~oulcl perhaps be, what seasonal changes bring the

T/w L’mltrtion of Cornrnuniccllio~l, however, is much more than a review of the seminal literature. Hauser explores the historical roots of some of the key conceptual issues in ethology, psycholinguistics and behavioral ecology, and his attention to these issues is designed to help investigators leap across interdisciplinary boun& aries. Hauser notes that the different views espoused by these disriplin~s all provide important ingredients for lllltlcrstaI~~~il1~~ the origin of language, and that the most eie@tnt ;lilCt tXlW6?lfLll iICCOUllt will K%lltirP lhr intcgralion of p~rspi~~tivcs,

be juxtaposition cess ol medical

of the outstanding sucscience in understand-

Cholera

Premack’s: effort hUman itlfaflt’s UlthUSiaS~ll

for

to

assess

‘IheoKy

reseilrch

the preverbal inin~l‘, dnel his is iillrctious and it ol

provides the te~i wit exciting quality. Marc writer a?,d the clarity of f~rese~t~tio~~ makes the text s~~ta~ie for graduate and under@Whate S~U&II~S as well as for establis$ied

and rIovice ~~~est~gat~~s.fke ~uo~u~io~ of ~O~~~[ir~~~O~~~~ will be a wry tough act to follow, and it will be interesting to see how the scientific

community

responds

Copyright 0 19% Elsevier

to the

causes epidemics to disappear during seasonal nadirs? The local geography of disease outbreaks along with the known requirements of Vibrios for growth, suggest that the salinization and increasing alkalinity of water

A iargr part of the hwl~ ctenls with hiskxy. tdhg ttW story Ol @hC hcahh Llilld meclical responses to ctmlera lmdemics.

makes a concerted effort to b experimental ingenuity of Landmark studies in communication, and to share his appreci&on for elegance iu ex~~~~irfle~~t~i design. and for the insights and findings well crafted studies produce. ‘1 think tl absolutely ingenious experiment’, proclaims in describing i’rema

organism into couiact with humans, and then, after a period where the Vibrio’s presence is amplified through growth in humans, what

victims

were

initially

bled

to re-

move their ‘thick black biood’, but as early as thr second ri~oiera pandemic of 18X-1837 (the first to reach Er~rolx~) O’Shaughnessy observed the lack of water in the blood, which led him to advocate rebydration therapy. The ability to draw people back from the brink oi death showed the potential of this therapy. which has been greatly improved during this century by the inclusion of the electrolytes lost in cholera stools. Intravenous re~iy~~at~~)il is still necessary for urgent cases. but sincr the introduction of glucose to aid absorption. oral rehydratior? has brcomc the standard treatment awl (‘a11 Psc used in u~lsop~~st~cate~ settings. The cholera toxin and other deteminants 0f toxicity have been identified on a virulence cassette. and the regulatory cascade controlling the expression described. These

reserved.

gjressurc on watrr supplies cholera emerge as a major public health

could reproblem.

When the book was written it was tbought that the new strain 0139 could generate the th pandemic of cholera, but it seems to have been displaced by the older 01 strainl. This excellent i~~tro~~ct~~l~ to the biology of cholera illustrates bow medical science has generated However,

the tools to combat

climate alIti ecmmiics

the disease. conspire

against its e~in~i~at~~~. Recent advancea, such as the success ((ifI% efficacy) of a cheap locally produced vaccine in Vietnam’, suggest that more could be done, especially if we can learn wben and where epidemics are likely.

Trust Centre for the Epldemology of Infectious Disease, University of Oxford. South Parks Road. Oxford. clM OX1 3PS

Wr!llcorne

oh these toxins has been advances are clearly de_

scribed. but the presence of chdera toxin genes on a bacteriophage raises fascinating evolutionary questions not addressed here’.

Science Ltd. All rights

supplies plays a major role. In addition, the c~j~ncitlence of algal blooms and outbreaks of disease suggest that the conditions favouring the reservoir hosts leads to increased human contact with the Vibrios. In areas where population growth and economic strains place

(1169534i/Yi/$Pi.CU

Faruque. A.S.G., RI&S. G.J. and Albert, M.J. (1996) Epidemiol fnfecl. 116,275-278 Trach. D.D. ef ol (1997) Lancet 349,231~235