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The Role of Animal Psychology in Evolutionary Biology

Innovationskolleg Theoretische Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Evolutionary biology of behavior and animal psychology are often regarded as separate disciplines. However, both fields depend strongly on each other. Examples of field studies of an ant navigation system and the fighting behavior of a spider are used to illustrate the interrelatedness of animal psychology and behavioral ecology. Both studies are based on research in the natural habitat. Yet, even one who knows this habitat well cannot analyze the evolution of observed behavior patterns without making basic assumptions about the animal's psychology. These assumptions relate to the animal's capability of information processing and the structural organization of this processing. The concept of strategic analysis in evolutionary game theory makes it an obligatory task to state such assumptions. Strategic analysis at the phenotypic level is well founded in population genetics theory despite its apparent lack of taking genetics into account. It helps to bridge the gap between psychology and evolutionary biology.

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