Adaptation and the Brain (Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution) – Ebook Instant Download/Delivery ISBN(s): 9780199546756,0199546754,9780192592330, 0192592335

Product details:

• ISBN-10: 0192592335
• ISBN-13: 9780192592330
• Author: Susan D. Healy

Why does brain size vary so widely among vertebrate animal species? What role has natural selection played in shaping the structure and function of the vertebrate brain? This accessible book unravels the myriad adaptive explanations that have built up over decades, providing both a review and a critique of the work that has sought to explain which natural selection pressures have led to changes in brain size. Debate over the causes of variation in brain size, especially within extant humans and during the course of hominid evolution, has persisted for at least a couple of centuries. However, it was not until relatively recently that there has been sufficient data to allow a coherent (and taxonomically widespread) evolutionary perspective to emerge. The comparative approach employed by evolutionary biologists and behavioural ecologists has been particularly enlightening with regard to addressing variation in brain size.

Table contents:

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: The Measurable Brain

Chapter 3: The Intelligent Brain

Chapter 4: The Ecological Brain

Chapter 5: The Innovative Brain

Chapter 6: The Technical Brain

Chapter 7: The Sexual Brain

Chapter 8: The Social Brain

Chapter 9: Concluding Remarks

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