Behavioral aspects of ecology.
"Zoology has not been renowned for a paucity of methods or viewpoints. Some workers have approached ecological problems from a theoretical, mathematical standpoint; others have been decidedly pragmatic and empirical. A few have even proven able to reconcile these often divergent approaches with...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Ebook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Englewood Cliffs, N.J. :
Prentice-Hall,
1962.
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| Series: | International series in biological science. Concepts of modern biology series.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | APA PsycBooks |
| Summary: | "Zoology has not been renowned for a paucity of methods or viewpoints. Some workers have approached ecological problems from a theoretical, mathematical standpoint; others have been decidedly pragmatic and empirical. A few have even proven able to reconcile these often divergent approaches within the scope of some particularly masterful study. Yet, for all the diversity in the approaches to the major problems of ecology, there has been a striking neglect of psychological factors that control or regulate the behavior of animals. This bald assertion is not intended to minimize the frequency, importance, or value of specific behavioral studies which seek to explain habitat selection, food preferences, or the like. What is lacking is a more general account of the relation between the principles and facts studied by psychologists and those of interest to ecologists. In this short book, we hope to summarize what we consider to be the major problems of ecology and to suggest how the application of psychological viewpoints can contribute to our understanding of them. Our approach is frankly speculative, for the present need seems to be for a suggestion of the nature of the rapprochement of ecology and psychology rather than for an exhaustive review of the areas of overlap. What, then, are the ecologist's fundamental problems? These have traditionally dealt with the manner in which a finite amount of space and energy is distributed among species, as well as with a temporal dimension of this distribution. We may restate these problems colloquially: 1. Why don't predators overeat their prey? 2. How are space and food shared? 3. Why are there so many species? 4. How do species remain distinct? These seemingly simple queries, as a moment's reflection will show, require a consideration of competition, trophic levels and energy exchange, community stability, niche diversification, speciation, and those related topics which comprise the entire field of ecology. By casting our questions in this particular form, the strictly behavioral problems in ecology can be best outlined"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved). |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (171 pages) : illustrations. |
| Format: | Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002. |