Maternal Effects As Adaptations [Hardcover]

Mothers have the ability to profoundly affect the quality of their offspring--from the size and quality of their eggs to where, when, and how eggs and young are placed, and from providing for and protecting developing young to choosing a mate. In many instances, these maternal effects may be the single most important contributor to variation in offspring fitness. This book explores the wide variety of maternal effects that have evolved in plants and animals as mechanisms of adaptation to temporally and spatially heterogeneous environments. Topics range from the evolutionary implications of maternal effects to the assessment and measurement of maternal effects. Four detailed case studies are also included. This book represents the first synthesis of the current state of knowledge concerning the evolution of maternal effects and their adaptive significance.

Part I. Conceptual Issues
1. The Evolutionary Genetics of Maternal Effects,Michael J. Wade
2. The Influence of Direct and Indirect Genetic Effects on the Evolution of Behavior: Social and Sexual Selection Meet Maternal Effects,Allen J. Moore, Jason B. Wolf, and Edmund D. Brodie III
3. Inertial Growth: Population Dynamics Based on Maternal Effects,Lev R. Ginzburg
4. What Is an Adaptive Environmentally Induced Parental Effect,Elizabeth P. Lacey
5. Oviposition Decisions as Maternal Effects: Conundrums and Opportunities for Conservation Biologists,Bernard D. Roitberg
Part II. Assessment and Measurement
6. The Detection and Measurement of Maternal Effects,Derek A. Roff
7. Genetics of Maternal and Paternal Effects,Ruth G. Shaw & Diane L. Byers
8. The Role of Environmental Variation in Parental Effects Expression,MaryCarol Rossiter
Part III. Reviews of Maternal Effects Expression
9. Maternal Environmental Effects in Plants: Adaptive Plasticity?,Kathleen Donol³Ç