Game theory & animal behavior /

The study of animal behavior has been revolutionized over the past two decades by the application of quantitative analysis to the behavior of wild animals in the area of behavioral ecology. The mathematical models of game theory, optimal foraging, and inclusive fitness have been important in this advance. This volume collects 14 essays on the application of game theory to a wide variety of problems in animal behavior. Like most collections resulting from symposia, the contributions are not uniform in coverage or level. The editors have tried to simplify the mathematics, but all the chapters require significant mathematical skills and several are beyond most undergraduates. A number of the more interesting essays present tests of their models with wild animals, but most restrict themselves to theoretical considerations. The book is a worthwhile addition to graduate collections and some undergraduate collections emphasizing behavioral ecology, as most chapters are sufficiently general to be of use for a longer time than the typical symposium volume. Karl Sigmond's Games of Life (1993) will be a better introduction for most undergraduates. Literature-cited sections for each chapter; index of authors with only a few subjects. Graduates; faculty. T. C. Williams; Swarthmore College