 | Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents - An Integrative Approach Fully integrative approach to the socibiology of caviomorph rodents Brings together research on social systems with that on epigenetic, neurendocrine and developmental mechanisms of social behavior Describes the social systems of many previously understudied caviomorph species, identifying the fitness costs and benefits of social living in current day populations as well as quantified evolutionary patterns or trends Highlights potential parallels and differences with other animal models Luis A. Ebensperger, P. Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile Luis Ebensperger has developed a research career to examine causes (ecological, evolutionary) and consequences of rodent social living. He has successfullycombined field observational, demographical, and lab approaches to address why animals congregate, how they cooperate, and what are the fitness effectsof group-living and cooperation. His recent work has addressed the neuroendocrine and immune responses of social mammals and the links between these mechanisms and direct fitness. He has been able to acquire evidence not only from several caviomorph rodent models, but also from other animal models, including ungulates. In addition to publishing research papers in high impact journals, he has produced papers aimed to summarize andprovide an integrative view to current social behavior theory. Loren D. Hayes, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, USA |
