The Lawrence Jacobsen Library
Books Received (Primate-Science/PrimateLit)

Cetacean Societies: Field Studies of Dolphins and Whales

BEHAVIORAL FLEXIBILITY IN PRIMATES: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES

By Clara B. Jones


Springer Press


ABOUT THE BOOK (taken from Springer online)


The primary goal of this volume is to advance the conceptual unification of
primatology and the other evolutionary sciences by addressing the evolution
of behavioral flexibility in the Primate Order. One of the first lessons
learned in introductory statistics is that events in the world vary.
However, some species exhibit a greater range of phenotypic plasticity,
including behavioral flexibility, than others. Primates are among those taxa
advanced to display an uncommon degree of behavioral diversity. The proposed
volume would explore the behavioral ecology and evolution of behavioral
flexibility in primates in relation to the optimization of survival,
(inclusive) reproductive success, and phenotypic influence.


Behavioral Flexibility in Primates: Causes and Consequences proposes that
genetic conflicts of interest are ubiquitous in primates who may employ
force, coercion, persuasion, persistence, scrambles, cooperation,
exploitation, manipulation, social parasitism, dispersal or spite to resolve
or manage them. Where one individual or group imposes severe costs to
inclusive fitness or to the phenotype upon another individual, the latter
may adopt a counterstrategy in an attempt to minimize its own costs.
Counterstrategies may, in turn, impose costs upon the original actor(s), and
so on, possibly yielding an evolutionary "chase" ("interlocus contest
evolution"). The evolution of phenotypic plasticity in primates may often
pertain to attempts to mitigate genetic conflicts of interest, and classic
work in behavioral ecology leads to the conclusion that for females
("energy-maximizers"), conflict will pertain primarily to competition for
food (that can be converted to offspring) while, for males
("time-minimizers"), conflict will pertain primarily to competition for
mates. These related and novel perspectives are developed in this new
volume.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Dr. Clara Jones is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of
Psychology at Fayetteville State University.   She has conducted studies of
several animal taxa in the field, lab, and zoo and of humans in the
laboratory and in natural settings.  Dr. Jones is also the Director of the
Theoretical Primatology Projects (TPP).


TABLE OF CONTENTS


1  Introduction to Intraindividual Variation of Primate Behavior  1


Introduction   1

The Costs and Benefits of Behavioral Flexibility    5

Components of Phenotypic Flexibility, Including Behavioral Flexibility   7

The Ecological Basis of Behavioral Flexibility   9

Conclusions   15


2  The Costs and Benefits of Behavioral Flexibility to Inclusive

Fitness: Dispersal as an Option in Heterogeneous Regimes   17

Introduction   17

Dispersal as Flexible Behavior    18

When to Disperse as an Assay for Demonstrating Behavioral Flexibility   23

Toward a New Perspective on Behavioral Flexibility    25

Why are There so Many Kinds of Behaviors?   28

Conclusions   29


3  Primate Signatures and Behavioral Flexibility in Heterogeneous Regimes 
31

Introduction   31

Learning, Environmental Heterogeneity, and Behavioral Flexibility   32

Fitness as a "Fixed Budget" of Time and Energy Generating

Signatures of Primate Behavior: The Temporal Component   33

Social Parasitism as a Signature of Primates in Heterogeneous Regimes   36

Negative Reinforcement as a Mechanism Of Exploitation in Heterogeneous 

Regimes   42

"Individuality" as a Primate Signature Constraining the Evolution and

Expression of Behavioral Flexibility and "True" Sociality   43

Conclusions   45


4  Social Cognition and Behavioral Flexibility: Categorical Decision-Making 
as a Primate Signature  47

Introduction  47

Social Cognition as a Generator of Behavioral Flexibility

Competitive Behavior and Resource Dispersion Related to Social Cognition 
52

Resolving Conflicts of Interest with Probabilistic Responses   55

Conclusions   58


5  Female Primates as "Energy-Maximizers " in Heterogeneous Regimes  61

Introduction   61

Discrimination Abilities, Allocation Strategies, and

Behavioral Flexibility of Female Primates   62

Relative Reproductive Value as a Determinant of

Behavioral Flexibility   64

Alloparental Behaviors as an Example of the Flexibility
of Responses by Female Primates   70

Life History Tactics and the Evolution of Behavioral Flexibility  74

Conclusions   78


6  Male Primates: "Time.-Minimizers " in Heterogeneous Regimes    79

Introduction   79

The "Branch-Break" Display of Male Mantled Howler Monkeys   82

Investigating Behavioral Flexibility in Male Mantled Howler

Monkeys: Study Sites, Procedures, and Definitions   83

How Does the "Branch-Break" Display Demonstrate Behavioral Flexibility?   84

Signaling Theory and Patterns of Branch-Breaking in Mantled Howler Monkeys 
87

The Influence of Females on Male Tactics and Strategies   91

Conclusions   92


7  Intersexual Interactions in Heterogeneous Regimes: Potential
Effects of Antogonistic Coevolution in Primate Groups   93

Introduction   93

Does Each Sex Favor Different Outcomes of Male-Female Interactions?   96

A General Formulation for Antagonistic Coevolution between Males and Females 
96

The Extent and Limits of Extreme Selfishness: Forced Copulations
by Males as an Indicator of Sexual Conflict   99

Multiple Mating by Females as a Counterstrategy to Male Infanticide   100

"Female Dominance" in Primates: Counterstrategies that Benefit Females   102

"Same Sex Partner Preference" and Antagonistic Coevolution   103

Conclusions   106


8  Sociosexual Organization and the Expression of Behavioral  Flexibility 
109

Introduction   109

Environmental and Phylogenetic Constraints on Behavioral Flexibility   111

Sociosexual Organization in Primates: An Attempt at Classification   115

Conclusions   120


9  Behavioral Flexibility: Interpretations and Prospects   123

Introduction   123

The Predictive Theory and Environmental Heterogeneity   124

What Factors Constrain the Evolution of "True" Social Behavior in Primates? 
128

To what Degree Does the Influence of "Individuality"

Constrain the Evolution of Sociality in Humans?   132

How Important is the Accuracy of a Flexible Behavioral Response?  133

Toward an Uncertain Future: Behavioral Flexibility and the

Conservation of Primate Biodiversity   136

Conclusions   138


Glossary   139


References  145


Index   181


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