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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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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Field of Behavioral Ecology, The- Published:
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2741-2
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- 21 April 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2741-1