Animal Architecture

by Hansell, Mike

• ISBN13: 9780198507529
• ISBN10: 0198507526
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-03-17
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This monograph on the biology of animal building embraces all groups, from simple invertebrates to primate toolmakers. It looks at the behavioral and anatomical equipment animals have in order to build, as well as the materials available to them. It examines how architects are able, singly or collectively, to produce complex structures often much larger than themselves. It also looks at the costs of building, the properties of completed structures, the ecological impact of them ,and their effects on the evolution of animal builders.

Author Biography

Mike Hansell is a Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK.

Table of Contents

Functions	1	(32)
Introduction and who builds	1	(1)
Places to live: control of the physical environment	2	(9)
Places to live: control of the biological environment	11	(9)
Feeding: burrowers and net builders	20	(7)
Intraspecific communication	27	(6)
Building materials: nature, origins, and processing	33	(33)
Introduction	33	(5)
Materials obtained by selecting and sorting	38	(3)
Materials created by processing	41	(6)
Self-secreted materials	47	(16)
Assessment of predictions	63	(3)
Construction: behaviour and anatomy	66	(32)
Introduction	66	(1)
Piling up: fetch and drop	67	(3)
Interlocking and weaving	70	(5)
Sticking together	75	(2)
Modelling	77	(2)
Folding and rolling	79	(3)
Spinning	82	(4)
Sculpting	86	(7)
Conclusions	93	(5)
Work organisation and building complexity	98	(33)
Introduction	98	(1)
Evidence of spatial knowledge	98	(2)
Organisation of workforces	100	(9)
Organisation of the building sequence	109	(13)
Instinct learning and cognition	122	(9)
Mechanics, growth, and design	131	(32)
Introduction	131	(1)
Growth and design	132	(9)
Mechanical design	141	(9)
The spider orb web: engineering in tension	150	(8)
Design and aesthetic sense	158	(5)
Building costs, optimal solutions, and trade-offs	163	(30)
Introduction	163	(1)
Building homes	164	(11)
Foraging with burrows and webs	175	(18)
Animal architects as ecosystem engineers	193	(33)
Introduction	193	(1)
Definitions	193	(2)
Predictions and tests	195	(3)
Bioturbation of aquatic and terrestrial sediments	198	(7)
Patterning of landscape and patch formation	205	(2)
Habitat modification and the promotion of species diversity	207	(7)
Mutualisms and associations	214	(6)
Conclusions	220	(6)
Evolution	226	(30)
Animal architecture as behavioural evidence	226	(6)
Building and the key adaptation concept	232	(8)
Does building facilitate social evolution?	240	(9)
Niche construction, ecological and cultural inheritance	249	(7)
Bibliography	256	(48)
Author Index	304	(4)
Species Index	308	(5)
Subject Index	313