Reproductive ecology and human evolution

Reproductive ecology is one of the most exciting and fastest-growing subareas of evolutionar y anthropology.

Thanks to recently developed, noninvasive techniques for monitoring key aspects of reproductive physiology, new investigations into the interactions between reproduction and a broad array of ecological, behavioral, and constitutional variables can now be carried out under the full range of cultural and ecological conditions that characterize human beings and wild primates.

Not only do these studies dramatically expand our understanding of human and primate physiology, but they shed fresh light on central issues in human evolution as well.

In this text, Dr Ellison, one of the pioneers in this field, brings together 31 of the most active and influential scientists investigating the evolutionary ecology of primate and human reproduction.

The resulting volume both captures the current state of the field and charts the research agenda that will guide its future.

The volume's 18 eighteen chapters are grouped into four sections that reflect the central focus of the contributions: Physiological Context; Ecological Context; Developmental Context; and Compara-tive Context.

The lively nature of the field is echoed in the resonance that extends to many of the individual chapters, wherein areas of contro-versy and disagreement are presented along with areas of consolidation and consensus.

Students and researchers in the fields of biological anthro-pology, human biology, and primatology, as well as those from adjacent disciplines such as demography, medicine, social anthropology, and public health, should find ""Reproductive Ecology and Human Evolution"" a useful guide to the frontiers of this terrain.