Comparative Social Evolution

Darwin famously described special difficulties in explaining social evolution in insects. More than a century later, the evolution of sociality - defined broadly as cooperative group living - remains one of the most intriguing problems in biology. Providing a unique perspective on the study of social evolution, this volume synthesizes the features of animal social life across the principle taxonomic groups in which sociality has evolved. The chapters explore sociality in a range of species, from ants to primates, highlighting key natural and life history data and providing a comparative view across animal societies. In establishing a single framework for a common, trait-based approach towards social synthesis, this volume will enable graduate students and investigators new to the field to systematically compare taxonomic groups and reinvigorate comparative approaches to studying animal social evolution. Machine Generated Contents Note: 1. The Evolution Of Social Evolution / Patrick Abbot -- Pt. I Invertebrates -- 2. Sociality In Ants / Jon Seal -- 3. Sociality In Bees / Jennifer H. Fewell -- 4. Sociality In Wasps / Amy L. Toth -- 5. Sociality In Termites / Barbara Thorne -- 6. Sociality In Aphids And Thrips / Tom Chapman -- 7. Sociality In Spiders / Jennifer Guevara -- 8. Sociality In Shrimps / Dustin R. Rubenstein -- Pt. Ii Vertebrates -- 9. Sociality In Primates / Peter M. Kappeler -- 10. Sociality In Non-primate Mammals / Loren D. Hayes -- 11. Sociality In Birds / Walter D. Koenig -- 12. Sociality In Fishes / Marian Wong -- 13. Sociality In Lizards / Geoffrey M. While -- 14. Social Synthesis: Opportunities For Comparative Social Evolution / Patrick Abbot. Edited By Dustin R. Rubenstein, Columbia University, Patrick Abbot, Vanderbilt University. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. frontmatter the-evolution-of-social-evolution sociality-in-ants sociality-in-bees sociality-in-wasps sociality-in-termites sociality-in-aphids-and-thrips sociality-in-spiders sociality-in-shrimps sociality-in-primates sociality-in-nonprimate-mammals sociality-in-birds sociality-in-fishes sociality-in-lizards social-synthesis-opportunities-for-comparative-social-evolution glossary index Bringing together the principle taxonomic groups, from ants to primates, this volume provides a unique perspective on the evolution of cooperative group living. The chapters synthesize features of animal social life to foster the development of a framework for a common, trait-based approach towards social synthesis.