Overview

Mixed-Species Groups of Animals: Behavior, Community Structure, and Conservation presents a comprehensive discussion on the mixed-species groups of animals, a spectacular and accessible example of the complexity of species interactions. They are found in a wide range of animals, including invertebrates, fish, mammals and birds, and in different habitats, both terrestrial and aquatic, throughout the world. While there are more than 500 articles on this subject scattered in separate categories of journals, there has yet to be a general, cross-taxa book-length introduction to this subject that summarizes the behavior and community structure of these groups. The authors first survey the diversity of spatial associations among animals and then concentrate on moving groups. They review the major classes of theories that have been developed to explain their presence, particularly in how groups increase foraging efficiency and decrease predation. Finally, they explore the intricacies of species interactions, such as communication, that explain species roles in groups and discuss what implications these social systems have for conservation.

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9780128053553

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Reviews

In summary, this is a thorough and concise book on mixed-species animal groups, and functions as a single resource for anyone who is interested in the study of this topic. It is very useful for both undergraduates and post-graduates, as well as for those outside of academia, and so I would thoroughly recommend it for a university library and for anyone who is considering research within this area. --Primate Eye ...it is a rich, although not exhaustive, source of information on MSGs. ...I enjoyed reading it and learned a lot, and fully recommend it to everybody interested in mixed-species groups. --The Quarterly Review of Biology I found the book fascinating in its breadth and now have a much broader and deeper appreciation of mixed-species groups. The authors present frameworks that can be used to guide future research, highlight future research questions, and point out how new methods may enhance our knowledge of both mechanism and function. --Primates It will be useful to a broad readership, from students who look for a thorough introduction to the phenomenon to researchers and university lecturers who want to have a single resource on mixed-species troops at hand...I enjoyed reading it and learned a lot, and fully recommend it to everybody interested in mixed-species groups. --Primates

...it is a rich, although not exhaustive, source of information on MSGs. ...I enjoyed reading it and learned a lot, and fully recommend it to everybody interested in mixed-species groups. --The Quarterly Review of Biology I found the book fascinating in its breadth and now have a much broader and deeper appreciation of mixed-species groups. The authors present frameworks that can be used to guide future research, highlight future research questions, and point out how new methods may enhance our knowledge of both mechanism and function. --Primates It will be useful to a broad readership, from students who look for a thorough introduction to the phenomenon to researchers and university lecturers who want to have a single resource on mixed-species troops at hand...I enjoyed reading it and learned a lot, and fully recommend it to everybody interested in mixed-species groups. --Primates

"""In summary, this is a thorough and concise book on mixed-species animal groups, and functions as a single resource for anyone who is interested in the study of this topic. It is very useful for both undergraduates and post-graduates, as well as for those outside of academia, and so I would thoroughly recommend it for a university library and for anyone who is considering research within this area."" --Primate Eye ""...it is a rich, although not exhaustive, source of information on MSGs. ...I enjoyed reading it and learned a lot, and fully recommend it to everybody interested in mixed-species groups."" --The Quarterly Review of Biology ""I found the book fascinating in its breadth and now have a much broader and deeper appreciation of mixed-species groups. The authors present frameworks that can be used to guide future research, highlight future research questions, and point out how new methods may enhance our knowledge of both mechanism and function."" --Primates ""It will be useful to a broad readership, from students who look for a thorough introduction to the phenomenon to researchers and university lecturers who want to have a single resource on mixed-species troops at hand…I enjoyed reading it and learned a lot, and fully recommend it to everybody interested in mixed-species groups."" --Primates"

It will be useful to a broad readership, from students who look for a thorough introduction to the phenomenon to researchers and university lecturers who want to have a single resource on mixed-species troops at hand...I enjoyed reading it and learned a lot, and fully recommend it to everybody interested in mixed-species groups. --Primates

Author Information

Eben Goodale teaches at Guangxi University in China and is a field ornithologist who has studied mixed-species bird flocks in South and East Asia and Melanesia. Originally an animal behaviourist, his studies on interactions between species in flocks have led him into issues of community ecology and conservation biology, and he has published more than 20 peer-reviewed articles specifically on mixed groups. Guy Beauchamp is a behavioural ecologist specializing on social foraging in birds. He has written over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals. He has been studying sandpipers for the last 10 years. He currently works as a research officer at the Veterinary College of the University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Graeme Ruxton has worked on animal behaviour for approximately 30 years, and authored more than 300 papers on the subject; group living has been a particular focus throughout that time, and he is joint author of the 2002 monograph “Living in Groups,” which is still widely cited.

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