Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution / John L. Gittleman.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Gittleman, John L., Editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Carnivora.

Nature Guides & Natural History.

Local Subjects:

Nature Guides & Natural History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (624 p.) : 127 halftones, 34 tables

Place of Publication:

Ithaca, NY : Cornell University Press, 1989.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

The mammalian order Carnivora is characterized by an incredible range of morphological, ecological, and behavioral variation. Carnivores can be as small as the 100-gram least weasel or as large as the 800-kilogram polar bear. Their reproductive rate can vary from one offspring every five years, as with some black bears, to three litters a year, as with the dwarf mongoose. Group sizes can be traced along a wide continuum, from the solitary ermine to the monogamous golden jackal to the large extended packs of as many as 80 spotted hyenas.Until recently the general habits of most wild carnivore species were inadequately understood. In the last decade, however, improved technologies, including the use of radiotelemetry and night-vision scopes, have led to many important discoveries. This book is at once a critical summary and an evaluation of current research on carnivores. A worthy successor to R.F. Ewer's monumental volume, The Carnivores (Cornell University Press), it is the work of 30 leading carnivore biologists, who here assemble comparative data on the basic anatomical, behavioral, ecological, physiological, reproductive, and evolutionary characteristics of this group.After a general introduction to the Carnivora, the volume is divided in three parts, each of which begins with a brief introduction outlining its main themes. Part I, Behavior, covers acoustic and olfactory communication, behavioral development, behavioral ecology of canids and hyaenids, modes of solitary living, and group living. In Part II, Ecology, topics include feeding ecology of the giant panda and Asiatic black bear, adatpations for aquatic living, ecological constraints on predation in felids, consequences of small size in mustelids, rate of basal metabolism and food habits, and reproductive output. Part III, Evolution, deals with the morphological approaches to phylogeny, and the fossil record. An appendix presents a complete classification of the Carnivora, including topics of continuing controversy.Highlighting recent developments in the study of the Carnivora and areas for further research, this broad synthesis will be of great value of students and researchers in animal behavior, behavioral ecology, wildlife ecology, mammalogy, paleontology, systematics, and evolution theory. It will also encourage realistic conservation programs to manage rapidly diminishing populations and will elucidate particular features of the carnivores for nonspecialist readers.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Contributors

An Introduction to the Carnivora / Eisenberg, John F.

PART I. BEHAVIOR

Introduction / Gittleman, John L.

1. Acoustic Communication by Fissiped Carnivores / Peters, Gustav / Wozencraft, W. Chris

2. The Role of Odor in the Social Lives of Carnivores / Gorman, Martyn L. / Trowbridge, Beverley J.

3. Behavioral Development of Terrestrial Carnivores / Bekoff, Marc

4. The Comparative Behavioral Ecology of Hyenas: The Importance of Diet and Food Dispersion / Mills, M. G. L.

5. Intraspecific Variation in Canid Social Systems / Moehlman, Patricia D.

6. The Mating Tactics and Spacing Patterns of Solitary Carnivores / Sandell, Mikael

7. Carnivore Group Living: Comparative Trends / Gittleman, John L.

PART II. ECOLOGY

8. The Feeding Ecology of Giant Pandas and Asiatic Black Bears in the Tangjiahe Reserve, China / Schaller, George B. / Qitao, Teng / Johnson, Kenneth G. / Xiaoming, Wang / Heming, Shen / Jinchu, Hu

9. Adaptations for Aquatic Living by Carnivores / Estes, James A.

10. Ecological Constraints on Predation by Large Felids / Sunquist, Mel E. / Sunquist, Fiona C.

11. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Small Size to Weasels, Mustela Species / King, Carolyn M.

12. Basal Rate of Metabolism, Body Size, and Food Habits in the Order Carnivora / McNab, Brian K.

13. Patterns of Energy Output during Reproduction in Carnivores / Oftedal, Olav T. / Gittleman, John L.

PART III. EVOLUTION

14. Locomotor Adaptations by Carnivores / Taylor, Mark E.

15. Carnivore Dental Adaptations and Diet: A Study of Trophic Diversity within Guilds / Van Valkenburgh, Blaire

16. The Physiology and Evolution of Delayed Implantation in Carnivores / Mead, Rodney A.

17. Molecular and Biochemical Evolution of the Carnivora / Wayne, Robert K. / Benveniste, Raoul E. / Janczewski, Dianne N. / O'Brien, Stephen J.

18. The Phylogeny of the Recent Carnivora / Wozencraft, W. Chris

19. Fossil History of the Terrestrial Carnivora / Martin, Larry D.

Appendix: Classification of the Recent Carnivora / Wozencraft, W. Chris

Species and Subject Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 26. Nov 2019)

ISBN:

1-5017-4581-6

OCLC:

1129167845