Behavioural Responses to a Changing World

Human-induced environmental change currently represents the single greatest threat to global biodiversity. Species are typically adapted to the local environmental conditions in which they have evolved. Changes in environmental conditions initially influence behaviour, which in turn affects species interactions, population dynamics, evolutionary processes and, ultimately, biodiversity. How animals respond to changed conditions, and how this influences population viability, is an area of growing research interest. Yet, despite the vital links between environmental change, behaviour, and population dynamics, surprisingly little has been done to bridge these areas of research. Behavioural Responses to a Changing World is the first book of its kind devoted to understanding behavioural responses to environmental change. The volume is comprehensive in scope, discussing impacts on both the mechanisms underlying behavioural processes, as well as the longer-term ecological and evolutionary consequences.Drawing on international experts from across the globe, the book covers topics as diverse as endocrine disruption, learning, reproduction, migration, species interactions, and evolutionary rescue.

Bob Wong is a senior lecturer in behavioural and evolutionary ecology at Monash University, Australia. Wong received his PhD from the Australian National University in 2004 and has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles. Wong's research is mostly within the area of sexual selection and speciation, with recent papers exploring the impact of anthropogenic disturbance on animal mating systems and behaviour. His research has received considerable interest in the international press. He has given invited seminars in Australia, Europe and North America, and is currently serving as a reviews editor for the Journal of Evolutionary Biology.

This is a wonderfully easy to read volume. The chapters are short and informational, striking a good balance between empirical evidence and conceptual frameworks ... the authors also achieve a good balance between ecological and evolutionary topics Jennifer S. Rehage, Biological Conservation This book is the first work that is devoted to studying and understanding behavioural responses to a changing environmental world. ... This book will be very useful to behavioral ecologists as well as students of animal behavior, evolution, ecology, and conservation. Evelyne Bremond-Hoslet, Mammalia