Eric Charnov
Encyclopedia
Eric L. Charnov is an American evolutionary ecologist
. He is best known for his work on foraging
, especially the marginal value theorem
, and life history theory
, especially sex allocation
and scaling/allometric rules. He is a MacArthur Fellow and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
. Two of his papers are Science Citation Classics.
Charnov gained his PhD in evolutionary ecology from the University of Washington
in 1973. He is a Distinguished Professor of Biology at the University of New Mexico
.
His research interests are:
Metabolic ecology: temperature and body size in the determination of biological times and rates; Evolutionary ecology
: population genetics
, evolutionary game theory
, and optimization models to understand the evolution of life histories
, sex allocation
, sexual selection
, and foraging
decisions.
Evolutionary ecology
Evolutionary ecology lies at the intersection of ecology and evolutionary biology. It approaches the study of ecology in a way that explicitly considers the evolutionary histories of species and the interactions between them. Conversely, it can be seen as an approach to the study of evolution that...
. He is best known for his work on foraging
Foraging
- Definitions and significance of foraging behavior :Foraging is the act of searching for and exploiting food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce...
, especially the marginal value theorem
Marginal value theorem
In behavioral ecology, the marginal value theorem considers an optimally foraging animal exploiting resources distributed in patches and that must decide when to leave a patch to start searching for a fresh one. The animal is assumed to have evolved to optimize a cost/benefit ratio: searching for...
, and life history theory
Life history theory
Life history theory posits that the schedule and duration of key events in an organism's lifetime are shaped by natural selection to produce the largest possible number of surviving offspring...
, especially sex allocation
Sex allocation
Sex allocation is the allocation of resources to male versus female reproduction in sexual species . Sex allocation depends upon the breeding system of a species, as well as how reproduction is carried out within each breeding system. Breeding systems can be categorised as dioecious, in which...
and scaling/allometric rules. He is a MacArthur Fellow and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
. Two of his papers are Science Citation Classics.
Charnov gained his PhD in evolutionary ecology from the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in 1973. He is a Distinguished Professor of Biology at the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
.
His research interests are:
Metabolic ecology: temperature and body size in the determination of biological times and rates; Evolutionary ecology
Evolutionary ecology
Evolutionary ecology lies at the intersection of ecology and evolutionary biology. It approaches the study of ecology in a way that explicitly considers the evolutionary histories of species and the interactions between them. Conversely, it can be seen as an approach to the study of evolution that...
: population genetics
Population genetics
Population genetics is the study of allele frequency distribution and change under the influence of the four main evolutionary processes: natural selection, genetic drift, mutation and gene flow. It also takes into account the factors of recombination, population subdivision and population...
, evolutionary game theory
Evolutionary game theory
Evolutionary game theory is the application of Game Theory to evolving populations of lifeforms in biology. EGT is useful in this context by defining a framework of contests, strategies and analytics into which Darwinian competition can be modelled. It originated in 1973 with John Maynard Smith...
, and optimization models to understand the evolution of life histories
Life history theory
Life history theory posits that the schedule and duration of key events in an organism's lifetime are shaped by natural selection to produce the largest possible number of surviving offspring...
, sex allocation
Sex allocation
Sex allocation is the allocation of resources to male versus female reproduction in sexual species . Sex allocation depends upon the breeding system of a species, as well as how reproduction is carried out within each breeding system. Breeding systems can be categorised as dioecious, in which...
, sexual selection
Sexual selection
Sexual selection, a concept introduced by Charles Darwin in his 1859 book On the Origin of Species, is a significant element of his theory of natural selection...
, and foraging
Foraging
- Definitions and significance of foraging behavior :Foraging is the act of searching for and exploiting food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce...
decisions.