Mixed-Species Groups of Animals
Behavior, Community Structure, and Conservation
- 1st Edition - April 26, 2017
- Authors: Eben Goodale, Guy Beauchamp, Graeme D. Ruxton
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 0 5 3 5 5 - 3
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 0 9 3 0 5 - 4
Mixed-Species Groups of Animals: Behavior, Community Structure, and Conservation presents a comprehensive discussion on the mixed-species groups of animals, a spectacular and acces… Read more

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Request a sales quoteMixed-Species Groups of Animals: Behavior, Community Structure, and Conservation presents a comprehensive discussion on the mixed-species groups of animals, a spectacular and accessible example of the complexity of species interactions.
They are found in a wide range of animals, including invertebrates, fish, mammals and birds, and in different habitats, both terrestrial and aquatic, throughout the world.
While there are more than 500 articles on this subject scattered in separate categories of journals, there has yet to be a general, cross-taxa book-length introduction to this subject that summarizes the behavior and community structure of these groups.
The authors first survey the diversity of spatial associations among animals and then concentrate on moving groups. They review the major classes of theories that have been developed to explain their presence, particularly in how groups increase foraging efficiency and decrease predation. Finally, they explore the intricacies of species interactions, such as communication, that explain species roles in groups and discuss what implications these social systems have for conservation.
- Functions as a single resource for readers inside and outside of academia on mixed-species groups, serving as a foundation for future research in this field
- Begins with an empirical summary of mixed-species distribution and reviews how the theories explaining their adaptive benefits are supported by the evidence
- Includes many aspects of mixed-group behavior (e.g. foraging, communication, collective decision-making, dominance, social roles of species and leadership, relationship to conservation) that were not previously or easily accessible
Advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and academics/ researchers in animal behavior, biology and behavioral ecology, and faculty and researchers interested in mixed-species groups
Chapter 1. Introduction
- 1.1. What is a Mixed-Species Group? Defining the Scope of the Book
- 1.2. Historical Perspective on Research on Mixed-Species Groups
Chapter 2. A Diversity of Mixed-Species Associations
- 2.1. Classifying Mixed-Species Associations
- 2.2. Interactions Between Species Without Association
- 2.3. Association of Species Despite Lack of Interaction
- 2.4. Stationary Associations Centered Around Species Interactions
- 2.5. Conclusions
Chapter 3. Moving Mixed-Species Groups in Different Taxa
- 3.1. Comparing Moving Mixed-Species Groups
- 3.2. Invertebrates
- 3.3. Fish and Aquatic Amphibians
- 3.4. Mammals
- 3.5. Birds
- 3.6. MSGs That Include Multiple Taxa and Where One Species Makes Food More Accessible to Others
- 3.7. Conclusions
Chapter 4. Adaptive Implications of Mixed-Species Grouping: Foraging, Physical, and Reproductive Factors
- 4.1. Different Types of Mixed-Species Groups in Terms of Adaptation
- 4.2. Some Potential Foraging Benefits of (Mixed-Species) Grouping
- 4.3. Some Potential Foraging Costs of (Mixed Species) Grouping
- 4.4. Reduced Cost of Locomotion in Groups
- 4.5. Protection From Adverse Environments in Groups
- 4.6. Further Social and Reproductive Aspects of (Mixed-Species) Grouping
- 4.7. Conclusions
Chapter 5. Adaptive Implications of Mixed-Species Grouping: Predators and Other Antagonists
- 5.1. Consequences of Mixed-Species Grouping for Predation Risk
- 5.2. Other Enemies (Parasites and Disease)
- 5.3. Herbivory in MSAs of Plants
- 5.4. Case Studies of Selection Pressures on MSGs
- 5.5. Conclusions
Chapter 6. Communication
- 6.1. Introduction
- 6.2. Eavesdropping
- 6.3. Signaling
- 6.4. Conclusions
Chapter 7. Leadership and Sentinel Behavior
- 7.1. Introduction
- 7.2. Leadership
- 7.3. Sentinel Behavior
- 7.4. Conclusions
Chapter 8. Mixed-Species Groups and Conservation
- 8.1. Introduction: The Need for Conservation of Mixed-Species Associations
- 8.2. Mixed-Species Group Responses to Anthropomorphic Disturbance
- 8.3. Mechanisms of This Response
- 8.4. Gaps in Knowledge
- 8.5. Conservation Actions: Protect Locations
- 8.6. Conservation Actions: Protect Species
- 8.7. Conservation Actions: Restoration of Disturbed Areas
- 8.8. Conclusions
Chapter 9. Conclusions
- 9.1. What Have We Learned?
- 9.2. Empirical Research on Mixed-Species Groups
- 9.3. Theoretical Review of Benefits and Costs
- 9.4. Social Interactions Within Mixed-Species Groups
- 9.5. Conservation and Conclusion
- No. of pages: 216
- Language: English
- Edition: 1
- Published: April 26, 2017
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Paperback ISBN: 9780128053553
- eBook ISBN: 9780128093054
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Eben Goodale
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Guy Beauchamp
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