About this book
The history of biology is populated by numerous model species or organisms. But few vertebrate groups have aided evolutionary and ecological research more than the live-bearing fishes of the family Poeciliidae. Found throughout tropical and subtropical waters, poeciliids exhibit a fascinating variety of reproductive specializations, including viviparity, matrotrophy, unisexual reproduction, and alternative mating strategies, making them ideal models for research on patterns and processes in ecology, behavior, and evolution.
"Ecology and Evolution of Poeciliid Fishes" is a much-needed overview of the scientific potential and understanding of these live-bearing fishes. Chapters by leading researchers take up a wide range of topics, including the evolution of unisexual reproduction, life in extreme environments, life-history evolution, and genetics.
Contents
Part I. Reproductive Biology and Life History
1 Gonads, genitals, and reproductive biology
2 Matrotrophy
3 Variation and evolution of reproductive strategies
4 Ecological drivers of life-history divergence
5 Evolution of unisexual reproduction
Part II. Evolutionary Ecology
6 Evolutionary and plastic responses to resource availability
7 Sensory ecology
8 Poeciliid parasites
9 Community assembly and mode of reproduction: predicting the distribution of livebearing fishes
10 Speciation and hybridization
11 Living in extreme environments
12 Evolutionary conservation biology
Part III. Behavior and Cognition
13 Group living
14 Innovation and social learning
15 Cognition
16 Predation risk and decision making in poeciliid prey
Part IV. Sexual Selection
17 Precopulatory sexual selection
18 Postcopulatory sexual selection
19 Sexual coercion
20 Information societies: communication networks and sexual selection
21 Genital evolution
Part V. Genetics
22 Genetic variation in natural populations
23 Genetics of male guppy color patterns
24 A primer of sex determination
25 Evolutionary genetics and molecular ecology of the major histocompatability complex genes
26 Oncogenetics
Part VI. Conclusions
27 Integrative commentary on Ecology and Evolution of Poeciliid Fishes
Customer Reviews
Biography
Jonathan P. Evans is a research fellow at the University of Western Australia's Centre for Evolutionary Biology.
Andrea Pilastro is associate professor of zoology at the University of Padova.
Ingo Schlupp is associate professor of zoology at the University of Oklahoma and adjunct professor of integrative biology at the University of Texas at Austin.