Abstract
The maximization of fitness is often used to analyse the action of natural selection on the life history of animals but short periods of behaviour receive ad hoc treatment. This article describes a dynamic, stochastic model for analysing behaviour in terms of the maximization of fitness.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Darwin, C. On the origin of species by natural selection (Murray, London, 1859).
Oster, G. F. & Wilson, E. O. Caste and Ecology in the Social Insects (Princeton University Press, 1978).
Maynard Smith, J. A. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 9, 31–56 (1978).
McFarland, D. J. Nature 269, 15–21 (1977).
Stearns, S. C. Q. Rev. Biol 51, 3–47 (1976).
Schaffer, W. M. Am. Nat. 121, 418–431 (1983).
Sibly, R. & Calow, P. J. theor. Biol. 102, 527–547 (1983).
Tinbergen, N. et al. Behaviour 19, 74–117 (1962).
Mangel, M. & Clark, C. W. Ecology 67, 1127–1138 (1986).
McNamara, J. M. & Houston, A. I. Am. Nat. 127, 358–378 (1986).
Schoener, T. A. Rev. Syst. Ecol. 2, 369–404 (1971).
Stephens, D. W. & Krebs, J. R. Foraging Theory (Princeton University Press, 1986).
Werner, E. E. & Gilliam, J. F. A. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 15, 393–425 (1984).
Ross, S. Introduction to Stochastic Dynamic Programming (Academic, New York, 1983).
McCleery, R. M. Anim. Behav. 25, 1005–1015 (1977).
Mangel, M. J. Math. Biol 25, 1–22 (1987).
Houston, A. I. & McNamara, J. M. in Relevance of models and theories in ethology (eds Campan, R. & Zayan, R.) 61–75 (Privat, I.E.C., Toulouse).
Packer, C. in Ecological Aspects of Social Evolution (eds Rubenstein, D. I. & Wrangham, R. W.) 429–451 (Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1986).
Caraco, T. & Wolf, L. L. Am. Nat. 109, 343–352 (1975).
Schaller, G. B. The Serengeti Lion (University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1972).
Clark, C. W. Anim. Behav. 35, 361–368 (1987).
Owens, M. J. & Owens, D. D. Int. Wildl. 14, 4–13.
Gibb, J. A. Ibis 96, 513–543 (1954).
McNamara, J. M. & Houston, A. I. Acta Biotheoretica 36, 3–22 (1987).
McNamara, J. M., Mace, R. H. & Houston, A. I. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 20, 399–405 (1987).
Reid, M. L. Anim. Behav. 35, 1735–1743 (1987).
Maynard Smith, J. Evolution and the Theory of Games (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1982).
Houston, A. I. & McNamara, J. M. J. theor. Biol. 129, 57–68 (1987).
Houston, A. I. & McNamara, J. M. Evol. Ecol. (in the press).
Charnov, E. L. & Skinner, S. W. Flor. Ent. 67, 5–21 (1984).
Roitberg, B. D. & Prokopy, R. J. Ecol. Ent. 7, 437–442 (1982).
Clark, C. W. & Levy, D. A. Am. Nat. (in the press).
Houston, A. I. & McNamara, J. M. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 17, 135–141 (1985).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Houston, A., Clark, C., McNamara, J. et al. Dynamic models in behavioural and evolutionary ecology. Nature 332, 29–34 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/332029a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/332029a0
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Influence of Parasitoid States on the Propensity to Enter and the Stay in a Patch
Journal of Insect Behavior (2022)
-
Intersection between parental investment, transgenerational immunity, and termite sociality in the face of disease: a theoretical approach
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (2022)
-
Evolution of risk preference is determined by reproduction dynamics, life history, and population size
Scientific Reports (2017)
-
Adaptive temperature regulation in the little bird in winter: predictions from a stochastic dynamic programming model
Oecologia (2017)
-
Optimization methods to solve adaptive management problems
Theoretical Ecology (2017)