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Published on: January 16, 2020
Behavioural ecology in the twenty-first century
Stuart A West1, Sasha R X Dall2, J Paul Cunningham3
1Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. stuart.west@biology.ox.ac.uk.
Abstract:
Behavioural ecology research has explained traits from foraging and cooperation to mating strategies and sex allocation. However, the size and interdisciplinary nature of this research can obscure the broader contributions that behavioural ecology has made and the major tasks for the future. We first assess the contributions of behavioural ecology to fundamental science, for both understanding nature and the scientific method. Second, we explore the application of behavioural ecology research to global challenges, from pests and pathogens to conservation and mitigating human impact. In all cases, progress has relied on a hypothesis-driven approach that combines mathematical modelling with empirical testing and the strategic choice of simplifying assumptions.
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