Ecology of motivation

Abstract

The areas of greatest interest in biology change over decades, and most recently research in two regions, molecular biology and behavioural ecology, has been the most fervent. Indeed, the more messianic workers in these pursuits vainly attempt to make other biologists feel déclassé. The advances in behavioural ecology have been under the umbrella of adaptationism, which is the argument (truism?) that all major features of organisms for which there is selection and heritable variation, including their behaviour, will be optimized over generations. However, there are a number of reasons why behaviour may not be optimal. For example, the optima may shift seasonally or over longer periods of time. Phylogenetic, ontogenetic, or sensorimotor constraints on behavioural flexibility may limit the responses of animals. Additionally, optimization of overall fitness requires trade-offs among different activities such as feeding and reproduction.