A Natural History of Families
eBook - ePub

A Natural History of Families

  1. 256 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

A Natural History of Families

About this book

Why do baby sharks, hyenas, and pelicans kill their siblings? Why do beetles and mice commit infanticide? Why are twins and birth defects more common in older human mothers? A Natural History of Families concisely examines what behavioral ecologists have discovered about family dynamics and what these insights might tell us about human biology and behavior. Scott Forbes's engaging account describes an uneasy union among family members in which rivalry for resources often has dramatic and even fatal consequences.


In nature, parents invest resources and control the allocation of resources among their offspring to perpetuate their genetic lineage. Those families sometimes function as cooperative units, the nepotistic and loving havens we choose to identify with. In the natural world, however, dysfunctional familial behavior is disarmingly commonplace.


While explaining why infanticide, fratricide, and other seemingly antisocial behaviors are necessary, Forbes also uncovers several surprising applications to humans. Here the conflict begins in the moments following conception as embryos struggle to wrest control of pregnancy from the mother, and to wring more nourishment from her than she can spare, thus triggering morning sickness, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Mothers, in return, often spontaneously abort embryos with severe genetic defects, allowing for prenatal quality control of offspring.


Using a broad sweep of entertaining examples culled from the world of animals and humans, A Natural History of Families is a lively introduction to the behavioral ecology of the family.

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Information

Publisher
Princeton University Press
Year
2007
Print ISBN
9780691130354
9780691094823
eBook ISBN
9781400837236
Topic
Biological Sciences
Subtopic
Ecology
Index
Biological Sciences

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half title
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Preface
  7. Chapter 1 Blame Parents
  8. Chapter 2 The Optimistic Parent
  9. Chapter 3 Why Parents Play Favorites
  10. Chapter 4 How Parents Play Favorites
  11. Chapter 5 Family Conflict
  12. Chapter 6 Selfishness Unconstrained
  13. Chapter 7 Screening for Offspring Quality
  14. Chapter 8 Why Twins?
  15. Chapter 9 Fatal Sibling Rivalry
  16. Chapter 10 Family Harmony
  17. Chapter 11 Cannibalism and Infanticide
  18. Chapter 12 Brave New Worlds
  19. Chapter 13 Debunking the Family Myth
  20. Selected References
  21. Index

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Yes, you can access A Natural History of Families by Scott Forbes in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Biological Sciences & Ecology. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.