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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science pp 1–9Cite as

Field of Behavioral Ecology, The

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Definition

The study of the ecological and evolutionary basis of animal behavior.

Introduction

Behavioral ecology has its origins in field studies that examined associations among behavior, inter-individual interactions, and the environment (Martin and Bateson 2007). The primary focus is on the study of the ecological and evolutionary basis of animal behavior, specifically the functions of behaviors and their adaptive advantages. Adaptive behaviors allow an individual to increase or maximize its reproductive success, or fitness. Behavioral differences with an underlying genetic basis are subject to natural selection or the differential survival and reproduction of organisms that differ in heritable ways.

Under selection, behaviors best adapted to the local environment increase in frequency over generations relative to less well-adapted behaviors. The behavior that maximizes fitness will depend both on interactions with other individuals as well as the ecological context (environment)....

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK, USA

    Emily Lescak

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  1. Emily Lescak
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Correspondence to Emily Lescak .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA

    Russell Jackson

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Lescak, E. (2017). Field of Behavioral Ecology, The. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2741-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2741-2

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Field of Behavioral Ecology, The
    Published:
    02 September 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2741-2

  2. Original

    Field of Behavioral Ecology, The
    Published:
    21 April 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2741-1

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