Kraus, Cornelia

[["dc.bibliographiccitation.firstpage","655"],["dc.bibliographiccitation.lastpage","684"],["dc.contributor.author","Kappeler, Peter"],["dc.contributor.author","Kraus, Cornelia"],["dc.contributor.editor","Kappeler, Peter"],["dc.date.accessioned","2017-09-07T11:48:55Z"],["dc.date.available","2017-09-07T11:48:55Z"],["dc.date.issued","2010"],["dc.description.abstract","The behaviour of animals is the result of adaptations and constraints. To what extent a particular behaviour pattern can be attributed to the relative strengths of these two forces is crucial with respect to understanding the evolution of behaviour. Moreover, in the still young history of the study of animal behaviour, different conceptual approaches have placed very different emphases on the residual behavioural variability beyond adaptations and constraints. In this chapter, we retrace some of these paradigm shifts, offer an overview of different hierarchical levels at which behavioural variability occurs and summarise some of the mechanisms that generate or constrain it. Above the species level, phylogenetic constraints often limit behavioural variability because of a functional relationship between taxonwide life history traits and behaviour, but the exact nature of their underlying mechanisms remains obscure. Phylogenetic constraints exist at different taxonomic levels, and, as several examples from studies of primate behaviour indicate, they are also common in animals with relatively advanced cognitive abilities in which social learning is common. We therefore emphasise the importance of acknowledging the existence of such constraints in behavioural analyses. We also decompose behavioural variability further into variation within species, among individuals and within individuals over time and highlight some of the mechanisms responsible for generating and maintaining this variability. Our review suggests that the specific evolutionary history of a taxon will set the stage at which levels variability can arise, and that cognitive abilities appear to create surprisingly little additional freedom for behavioural variability."],["dc.identifier.doi","10.1007/978-3-642-02624-9_21"],["dc.identifier.gro","3150899"],["dc.identifier.uri","https://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gro-2/7698"],["dc.language.iso","en"],["dc.notes.status","final"],["dc.notes.submitter","chake"],["dc.publisher","Springer"],["dc.publisher.place","Berlin, Heidelberg"],["dc.relation.isbn","978-3-642-02623-2"],["dc.relation.ispartof","Animal Behaviour: Evolution and Mechanisms"],["dc.title","Levels and mechanisms of behavioural variability"],["dc.type","book_chapter"],["dc.type.internalPublication","unknown"],["dc.type.peerReviewed","no"],["dspace.entity.type","Publication"]]