Infanticide by Males and its Implications

by Carel P. van Schaik, Charles H. Janson

Overview

Infanticide by males is relatively common in primates, carnivores, and rodents, although it tends to be rare even in species in which it occurs. Is this behavior pathological or accidental, or does it reflect a conditional reproductive strategy for males in certain circumstances? In this book, case studies and reviews confirm the adaptive nature of infanticide by males in primates, and help to predict which species should be vulnerable to this phenomenon. Much of the book is devoted to exploring the evolutionary consequences of the threat of infanticide by males for social and reproductive behavior and physiology. Written for graduate students and researchers in animal behavior, behavioral ecology, biological anthropology, and social psychology, this book shows that social systems are shaped by ecological pressures, as well as social pressures such as infanticide risk.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521772952
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/02/2000
Pages:	584
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.33(h) x 1.30(d)

Table of Contents

Foreword Sarah Blaffer Hrdy; Preface Carel P. van Schaik and Charles Janson; Part I. Introduction: 1. The holy wars against infanticide: which side are you on and why? Volker Sommer; 2. Infanticide by male primates: the sexual selection hypothesis revisited Carel P. van Schaik; 3. Vulnerability to infanticide by males: patterns among mammals Carel P. van Schaik; Part II. Infanticide by Males: Case Studies: 4. Infanticide in Red Howlers: female group size, male composition and a possible link to folivory Carolyn M. Crockett and Charles H. Janson; 5. Infanticide in Hanuman Langurs: social organization, male migration and weaning age Carola Borries and Andreas Koenig; 6. Male infanticide and defense of infants in Chacma baboons Ryne A. Palombit, Dorothy L. Cheney, Julia Fischer, Sara Johnson, Drew Rendall, Robert M. Seyfarth and Joan B. Silk; 7. Infanticide by males and female choice in wild Thomas's Langurs Romy Steenbeek; 8. The evolution of infanticide in rodents: a comparative analysis Daniel T. Blumstein; 9. Infanticide by male birds José P. Viega; Part III. Behavioural Consequences of Infanticide by Males: 10. Prevention of infanticide: the perspective of infant primates Adrian Treves; 11. Infanticide and the evolution of male-female bonds in animals Ryne A. Palombit; 12. The other side of the coin: infanticide and the evolution of affiliative male-infant interactions in Old World primates Andreas Paul, Signe Preuschoft and Carel P. van Schaik; 13. Female dispersal and infanticide avoidance in primates Elisabeth H. M. Sterck and Amanda H. Korstjens; 14. Reproductive patterns in eutherian mammals: adaptations against infanticide Maria A. van Noordwijk and Carel P. van Schaik; 15. Paternity confusion and the ovarian cycles of female primates Carel P. van Schaik, J. Keith Hodges and Charles L. Nunn; 16. Social evolution in primates: the relative roles of ecology and intersexual conflict Charles L. Nunn and Carel P. van Schaik; Part IV. Infanticide by Females: 17. Infanticide by female mammals: implications for the evolution of social systems Leslie Digby; 18. 'The hate that love generated' - sexually selected neglect of one's own offspring in humans Eckart Voland and Peter Stephan; Part V. Conclusion: 19. The behavioral ecology of infanticide Charles H. Janson and Carel P. van Schaik; References, Index.

Editorial Reviews

"Arriving over three decades after infanticide was first observed in primates, this volume sets the stage for future research on the potentially widespread implications of infanticide for the behavior and social organization of animals. It will be useful to anyone whose research concerns involve infanticide, especially infanticides by primates males." Ethhology 2001

From the Publisher