Why Evolutionary Issues are Reviving Interest in Proximate Behavioral Mechanisms

Information about proximate behavioral mechanisms is requiredto answer a variety of important questions about the evolutionof behavioral and other traits. For instance, theoretical studiesof maternal effects indicate that the behavior of parents mayhave profound effects on the evolution of phenotypic traitsin their offspring, and that maternal effects may provide nongeneticpathways for the inheritance of both behavioral and nonbehavioraltraits. Similarly, the recent emphasis on genetic correlationsamong traits cautions that correlations among behavioral traitsmay have surprising effects on behavioral evolution, and providesfurther impetus for studies of the proximate bases of behavioraltrait syndromes. Finally, the literature on information acquisitionsuggests that the behavioral processes used in assessment mayaffect the evolution of behavioral and other traits. For instance,if information is costly to obtain, individuals may prefer familiarto unfamiliar situations. In a social context, a preferencefor familiar individuals could have a variety of effects onthe evolution of social and nonsocial behavior patterns. Theseand other examples suggest that interest in behavioral processeswill continue to grow during the next decade, and that proximateand ultimate approaches to behavioral problems will be moreclosely integrated than was true in the past.