The Evolution of Primate Societies

edited by John C. Mitani, Josep Call, Peter M. Kappeler, Ryne A. Palombit and Joan B. Silk

University of Chicago Press, 2012
Cloth: 978-0-226-53171-7 | Paper: 978-0-226-53172-4 | Electronic: 978-0-226-53173-1
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226531731.001.0001

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ABOUT THIS BOOKAUTHOR BIOGRAPHYREVIEWSTABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS BOOK

In 1987, the University of Chicago Press published Primate Societies, the standard reference in the field of primate behavior for an entire generation of students and scientists. But in the twenty-five years since its publication, new theories and research techniques for studying the Primate order have been developed, debated, and tested, forcing scientists to revise their understanding of our closest living relatives.

Intended as a sequel to Primate Societies, The Evolution of Primate Societies compiles thirty-one chapters that review the current state of knowledge regarding the behavior of nonhuman primates. Chapters are written by the leading authorities in the field and organized around four major adaptive problems primates face as they strive to grow, maintain themselves, and reproduce in the wild. The inclusion of chapters on the behavior of humans at the end of each major section represents one particularly novel aspect of the book, and it will remind readers what we can learn about ourselves through research on nonhuman primates. The final section highlights some of the innovative and cutting-edge research designed to reveal the similarities and differences between nonhuman and human primate cognition. The Evolution of Primate Societies will be every bit the landmark publication its predecessor has been.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

John C. Mitani is the James N. Spuhler Collegiate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan. Josep Call is a senior scientist and director of the Wolfgang Kohler Primate Research Centre at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Peter M. Kappeler is head of the Department of Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology/Anthropology at the University of Gottingen. Ryne A. Palombit is associate professor of anthropology at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Joan B. Silk is professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Institute for Society and Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles.

REVIEWS

“This volume is a most impressive collection of insightful, up-to-date reviews of the major issues in our understanding of the behavior and ecology of primates, including humans. It is a landmark publication and the essential starting point for future research.”

— John G. Fleagle, Stony Brook University

“Highly recommended.”

— E. Delson, CUNY Herbert H. Lehman College, Choice

“The Evolution of Primate Societies is certain to become an essential reference in primatology for years to come. It is a state of the art collection of theoretically grounded reviews in primatology—arguably the best such compilation available—and is undoubtedly already required reading for undergraduate and graduate courses alike. Intelligent editorial decisions have yielded a volume that does not conflict with but instead complements its alter ego, Primates in Perspective, and the two will most certainly walk hand-in-hand to guide the next generation of primatologists.”

— Larissa Swedell, Queens College, American Journal of Human Biology

“This textbook consists of well-referenced reviews with handy chapter summaries and is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses.”

— W. Scott McGraw, Ohio State University, Quarterly Review of Biology

Foreword - Richard Wrangham

Preface

Introduction

Part 1. Primate Behavioral Diversity

The Behavioral Ecology of Strepsirrhines and Tarsiers

The Behavior, Ecology, and Social Evolution of New World Monkeys

The Behavioral Ecology of Colobine Monkeys

The Behavior, Ecology, and Social Evolution of Cercopithecine Monkeys

The Apes: Taxonomy, Biogeography, Life Histories, and Behavioral Ecology

Part 2. Surviving and Growing Up in a Difficult and Dangerous World

Food as a Selective Force in Primates

Predation

Ecological and Social Influences on Sociality

Life-History Evolution

Socialization and Development of Behavior

Genetic Consequences of Primate Social Organization

Human Survival and Life History in Evolutionary Perspective

Part 3. Mating and Rearing Offspring

From Maternal Investment to Lifetime Maternal Care

Magnitude and Sources of Variation in Female Reproductive Performance

Mate Choice

Mating, Parenting, and Male Reproductive Strategies

Magnitude and Sources of Variation in Male Reproductive Performance

Infanticide: Male Strategies and Female Counterstrategies

The Socioecology of Human Reproduction

Part 4. Getting Along

Cooperation among Kin

Cooperation among Non-kin: Reciprocity, Markets, and Mutualism

The Regulation of Social Relationships

The Adaptive Value of Sociality

Social Regard: Evolving a Psychology of Cooperation

Human Sociality

Part 5. Cognitive Strategies for Coping with Life’s Challenges

Solving Ecological Problems

Knowledge of Social Relations

Communication Strategies

Understanding Other Minds

Social Learning, Traditions, and Culture

Human Cultural Cognition

Contributors

Index