Overview

In this edited collection, 17 internationally known authorities bring together the results of recent research on the natural history, ecology, behavior, morphology, and genetics of wasps as they pertain to the evolution of social behavior. The first part of the book opens with a review of the classification of the family Vespidae along with a revision of the subfamily Polistinae. Seven subsequent chapters deal with the natural history and social biology of each of the major taxa of social and presocial vespids. The second part of the book offers chapters on reproductive competition; worker polyethism; evolution of nest architecture, of queen number and queen control, and of exocrine glands; population genetics; the nutritional bsis of social evolution; and the nest as the locus of social life. The final chapter is a comparative discussion of social behavior in the Sphecidae, the only family of wasps besides the Vespidae in which well-developed social behavior is known. Providing a wealth of information about the biology of wasps, this comprehensive, up-to-date volume will be an essential reference for entomologists, evolutionary biologists, behavioral ecologists, ethologists, and zoologists. Contributors: James M. Carpenter. David P. Cowan. Holly A Downing. Raghavendra Gadagkar. Albert Greene. James H. Hunt. Robert L. Jeanne. Makoto Matsuura. Robert W. Matthews. Hudson K. Reeve. PeterFrank Roseler. Kenneth G. Ross. J. Philip Spradbery. Christopher K. Starr. Stefano Turillazzi. John W. Wenzel. Mary Jane West-Eberhard.

Full Product Details

Author:   Kenneth G. Ross ,  Robert W. Matthews ,  Kenneth G. Ross
Publisher:   Cornell University Press
Imprint:   Cornell University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 4.40cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   1.361kg
ISBN:  

9780801420351

ISBN 10:   0801420350
Pages:   696
Publication Date:   30 May 1991
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  General/trade ,  General ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Reviews

The Social Biology of Wasps provides a thorough and up-to-date account. It is fertile ground for graduate students seeking thesis topics and a great resource for anyone attuned to the tension between conflict and cooperation that makes social animals so interesting. * Science * Anyone with even a casual interest in social insects should read it. * Nature *

Anyone with even a casual interest in social insects should read it. * Nature * The Social Biology of Wasps provides a thorough and up-to-date account. It is fertile ground for graduate students seeking thesis topics and a great resource for anyone attuned to the tension between conflict and cooperation that makes social animals so interesting. * Science *

The Social Biology of Wasps provides a thorough and up-to-date account. It is fertile ground for graduate students seeking thesis topics and a great resource for anyone attuned to the tension between conflict and cooperation that makes social animals so interesting. --Science Anyone with even a casual interest in social insects should read it. --Nature

Author Information

Kenneth G. Ross is Assistant Professor of Entomology and Robert W. Matthews is Professor of Entomology at the University of Georgia.

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