Marmot Biology
Sociality, Individual Fitness, and Population Dynamics

Focusing on physiological and behavioral factors, this book places the social biology of marmots in an environmental context.

Kenneth B. Armitage (Author)

9781107053946, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 24 July 2014

405 pages
25.2 x 17.7 x 2.8 cm, 1 kg

'This thought-provoking volume miraculously condenses more than 41 years of research on the evolution and ecology of not only the yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) but incorporates the comparative biology of the other 14 species of marmots into only 400 pages of text.' John L. Koprowski, The Quarterly Review of Biology

Focusing on the physiological and behavioral factors that enable a species to live in a harsh seasonal environment, this book places the social biology of marmots in an environmental context. It draws on the results of a forty-year empirical study of the population biology of the yellow-bellied marmot near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in the Upper East River Valley in Colorado, USA. The text examines life-history features such as body-size, habitat use, environmental physiology, social dynamics, and kinship. Considerable new data analyses are integrated with material published over a fifty-year period, including extensive natural history observations, providing an essential foundation for integrating social and population processes. Finally, the results of research into the yellow-bellied marmot are related to major ecological and evolutionary theories, especially inclusive fitness and population regulation, making this a valuable resource for students and researchers in animal behavior, behavioral ecology, evolutionary biology, ecology and conservation.

Introduction
Part I. The Diversity and Evolutionary History of Marmots: 1. Marmots in human culture: from folklore to research
2. Marmots: their history and diversity
3. Marmot habitats
4. Use of resources
5. Evolution of sociality
6. Body-mass variation
7. Hibernation energetics and the circannual rhythm
Part II. Biotic and Abiotic Environments: 8. The environment of the yellow-bellied marmot
9. Environmental physiology
Part III. Social Structure and Behavior of the Yellow-Bellied Marmot: 10. The role of kinship: resource sharing
11. The role of kinship: social behavior and matriline dynamics
12. Social behavior: play and individuality
13. Communication
14. Alarm responses of the yellow-bellied marmot
Part IV. Reproductive Success: 15. Male reproductive success
16. Female reproductive success
Part V. Population Dynamics: 17. Basic demography
18. Dispersal and immigration
19. Metapopulation dynamics
20. Population regulation or population limitation
Part VI. The Future of Marmots: 21. Climate change and conservation
22. Major life-history traits
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Zoology & animal sciences [PSV], Biology, life sciences [PS]