A Primer of Conservation Behavior

by Daniel T. Blumstein, Esteban Fernández-Juricic

Overview

Conservation behavior is the application of knowledge of animal behavior to solve wildlife conservation problems. The goal of this Primer is to nurture the development of biologists interested in using specific animal behavior conceptual and methodological tools to aid in solving biological conservation and wildlife management problems. While there are a number of excellent reviews and edited volumes that discuss the integration of behavior and conservation biology, there has been no practical guide fostering integration and showing how to apply these methodologies to issues that would benefit from an animal behavior perspective. This book is broadly aimed at biologists interested in or practicing conservation biology and wildlife management, including undergraduate and graduate students, conservation biologists, ecologists, wildlife managers, zoo personnel, animal behaviorists, and behavioral ecologists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780878934010
Publisher:	Sinauer Associates is an imprint of Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/24/2010
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Daniel T. Blumstein is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He received his undergraduate degrees in Environmental, Population, and Organismic Biology, and in Environmental Conservation, at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He received his Ph.D. in Animal Behavior at the University of California Davis, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Marburg (Germany), the University of Kansas, and Macquarie University (Australia). He has studied behavior and conservation in Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, Germany, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States. He has served on endangered species recovery teams, and is a member of the IUCN Reintroduction Specialist Group and the Conservation Behavior Committee of the Animal Behavior Society. He is a coauthor of Quantifying Behavior the JWatcher Way (published by Sinauer) and An Ecotourist's Guide to Khunjerab National Park (published by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan). He is a past editor of the journal Animal Behaviour, and is presently an associate editor of The Quarterly Review of Biology. He is on the editorial boards of Behavioral Ecology and Biology Letters. He spends his summers studying marmot behavior and ecology at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Gothic, Colorado.

Esteban Fernández-Juricic is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Purdue University. He got his undergraduate degree at Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina. He received his Ph.D. in animal ecology at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oxford (United Kingdom), and the University of Minnesota (USA). Before his current position, he was an Assistant Professor at California State University, Long Beach for almost six years. He has studied behavior and conservation in Argentina, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He is an associate editor of the Journal of Applied Ecology and Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. He is a member of the Conservation Behavior Committee of the Animal Behavior Society. He is currently interested in the integration of sensory ecology, behavioral ecology, and conservation biology.

Table of Contents

1. What Is Conservation Behavior?

2. Why Do Behavioral Mechanisms Matter?

3. The Evolution of Behavior and Comparative Studies

4. Assessing Food, Habitat, and Mate Preferences

5. Understanding Habitat Selection for Conservation and Management

6. Understanding Foraging Behavior for Conservation and Management

7. Understanding Antipredator Behavior for Conservation and Management

8. Acoustic Communication and Conservation

9. Individuality and Personalities

10. Demographic Consequences of Sociality

11. Demographic Consequences of Sexual Selection and Reproductive Behavior

12. Using Behavior To Set Aside Areas for Wildlife Protection

Editorial Reviews

"This is a compelling read; I went cover to cover without putting it down. The authors have made a significant and helpful contribution here and one that will surely inspire young behavioral ecologists to keep probing the links between behavior and conservation."—John P. Swaddle, The Quarterly Review of Biology

"A worthwhile read for students and professionals alike who are concerned with conservation and management of captive and wild populations."—Malgorzata Wisniewska et al., Biological Conservation

From the Publisher