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Zusatztext the editor brings together an impressive collection of theoretical and empirical studies that address the evolution of mate fidelity and divorce ... Partnerships in Birds provides a good review of our current ideas about why so many birds are monogamous in the face of such sexual promiscuity. I recommend it to anyone interested in the evolution of avian reproductive strategies. Klappentext Some birds mate for life! while others have many partners. Why? In this book! fourteen classic studies are brought together to compare different partnership patterns from ecological and evolutionary perspectives. The subjects have been chosen to include the same species living in different habitats (Sparrowhawks) and at different population densities (Great Tits). There are comparisons between closely related species (Mute Swans and Bewick's Swans; Florida Scrub Jays and Pinyon Jays). The studies span the globe and the behavioural gradient! from Iceland's strictly monogamous Whooper Swans to Australia's sexually promiscuous Splendid Fairy-wrens. In all cases! sexual and social relationships strongly influence a bird's survival and breeding success. Recent research has revealed an astonishing diversity in avian male-female relationships. Social monogamy and sexual fidelity are not necessarily the same thing! and birds have been shown to adopt many variations on this theme. Zusammenfassung Some birds mate for life, while others have many partners. Why? In this book, fourteen classic studies of bird behaviour are brought together to compare the different partnership patterns from ecological and evolutionary perspectives. Often there is a battle of the sexes, as individual birds behave in the way that serves their best interests. Introductory and concluding chapters review the latest thinking on this fascinating subject. Inhaltsverzeichnis Initial Perspectives 1: Introduction: pair bonds and partnerships 2: The battle of the sexes and the origins of monogamy 3: The model family Continuous Partnerships 4: Long-term monogamy in a river specialist - the Blue Duck 5: Do Barnacle Geese benefit from life-long monogamy? 6: Mate fidelity in swans 7: Breeding partnership in two New World jays 8: Partnerships in promiscuous Splendid Fairy-wrens Part-time Partnerships 9: Divorce in the European Blackbird 10: Mate fidelity and divorce in ptarmigan 11: Causes and consequences of long-term partnerships in Cassin's Auklets 12: Monogamy in a long-lived seabird: the Short-tailed Shearwaters 13: Between and within-population variation in mate fidelity in the Great Tit 14: Monogamy in the Sparrowhawk 15: Mate fidelity in penguins 16: Causes and consequences of mate fidelity in Red-billed Gulls 17: Dispersal, demography, and the persistence of partnerships in Indigo Buntings Concluding Perspectives 18: Monogamy and sperm competition in birds 19: Mate fidelity and divorce in monogamous birds Author index Subject index ...
