Why do baby sharks, hyenas, and pelicans kill their siblings?
Why do beetles and mice commit infanticide? Why are twins and birth
defects more common in older human mothers? "A Natural History of
Families" concisely examines what behavioral ecologists have
discovered about family dynamics and what these insights might tell
us about human biology and behavior. Scott Forbes's engaging
account describes an uneasy union among family members in which
rivalry for resources often has dramatic and even fatal
consequences.
In nature, parents invest resources and control the allocation
of resources among their offspring to perpetuate their genetic
lineage. Those families sometimes function as cooperative units,
the nepotistic and loving havens we choose to identify with. In the
natural world, however, dysfunctional familial behavior is
disarmingly commonplace.
While explaining why infanticide, fratricide, and other
seemingly antisocial behaviors are necessary, Forbes also uncovers
several surprising applications to humans. Here the conflict begins
in the moments following conception as embryos struggle to wrest
control of pregnancy from the mother, and to wring more nourishment
from her than she can spare, thus triggering morning sickness,
diabetes, and high blood pressure. Mothers, in return, often
spontaneously abort embryos with severe genetic defects, allowing
for prenatal quality control of offspring.
Using a broad sweep of entertaining examples culled from the
world of animals and humans, "A Natural History of Families" is a
lively introduction to the behavioral ecology of the family.