ISBN:
9781400837236
Language:
English
Pages:
1 online resource (192 pages)
Parallel Title:
Erscheint auch als
DDC:
306.87
Keywords:
Reproduction - Social aspects
;
Electronic books
Abstract:
Why do baby sharks, hyenas, and pelicans kill their siblings? Why do beetles and mice commit infanticide? Why are twins and birth defects more common in older human mothers? A Natural History of Families concisely examines what behavioral ecologists have discovered about family dynamics and what these insights might tell us about human biology and behavior. Scott Forbes's engaging account describes an uneasy union among family members in which rivalry for resources often has dramatic and even fatal consequences. In nature, parents invest resources and control the allocation of resources among their offspring to perpetuate their genetic lineage. Those families sometimes function as cooperative units, the nepotistic and loving havens we choose to identify with. In the natural world, however, dysfunctional familial behavior is disarmingly commonplace. While explaining why infanticide, fratricide, and other seemingly antisocial behaviors are necessary, Forbes also uncovers several surprising applications to humans. Here the conflict begins in the moments following conception as embryos struggle to wrest control of pregnancy from the mother, and to wring more nourishment from her than she can spare, thus triggering morning sickness, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Mothers, in return, often spontaneously abort embryos with severe genetic defects, allowing for prenatal quality control of offspring. Using a broad sweep of entertaining examples culled from the world of animals and humans, A Natural History of Families is a lively introduction to the behavioral ecology of the family.
Abstract:
Cover -- Half title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- Chapter 1 Blame Parents -- Do the Good Die Young? -- The Family Myth -- Chapter 2 The Optimistic Parent -- The Evolution of Family Size -- The Puzzle of Obligate Brood Reduction -- How Many Babies? -- Avian Families -- Core and Marginal Offspring -- Asymmetric Sibling Rivalry Creates Disposable Offspring -- The Evolution of Family Structure -- What Is Parental Optimism? -- Why Parental Optimism? -- Tracking Erratic Resources -- Replacement -- Facilitation -- Multiple Incentives for Parental Optimism -- Are Humans Optimistic Parents? -- Chapter 3 Why Parents Play Favorites -- Mom Always Liked You Best -- The Fivefold Advantage of Favoritism -- 1. The Benefits and Costs of Unequal Parental Investment -- 2. Divestment of Unneeded Offspring -- 3. Benefits of Diversification -- 4. Correcting Earlier Decisions -- 5. Bet Hedging and Brood Reduction -- Chapter 4 How Parents Play Favorites -- What Is a Phenotypic Handicap? -- How Birds Play Favorites -- Primary Versus Secondary Handicaps -- How Blackbirds Play Favorites -- Reversible Handicaps -- How Marsupials Play Favorites -- Brood Reduction in Rabbits -- How Plants Play Favorites -- Different Species, Same Idea -- Humans Play Favorites Too -- Birth Order and Favoritism -- Chapter 5 Family Conflict -- Genetic Conflict between Parents and Offspring -- Parent-Offspring Conflict -- Pregnancy and Parent-Offspring Conflict -- Natural-Born Cancers -- Imprinted Genes in Humans -- Genetic Conflict and Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome -- Parent-Offspring Conflict over Embryo Growth -- Imprinting and Gestational Diabetes -- Pregnancy Sickness and Genetic Conflict -- HCG: The Hormone of Pregnancy Sickness? -- Evolution of Chorionic Gonadotropins in Primates -- Chorionic Gonadotropins and Miscarriage -- Chapter 6 Selfishness Unconstrained.
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