Explores the neuroendocrine bases of reproduction in relation to their environmental and social contexts. The contributors provide accounts of reproductive behaviours in animals ranging from turtles and lizards to humans and nonhuman primates.

Historically, reproductive science has focused on reproductive behaviours divorced from the contexts in which they occur. Taking a more integrated view, this book explores the neuroendocrine bases of reproduction in relation to their environmental and social contexts. The contributors provide compelling accounts of reproductive behaviours in animals ranging from turtles and lizards to humans and nonhuman primates. They examine these behaviours from the perspectives of ethology, endocrinology, behavioural genetics and evolutionary ecology. Together, they illuminate the dynamic interplay between the ecological and social contexts of a species and the biological mechanisms regulating reproductive behaviour. The book shows how an appreciation of the full complexity of the content of reproduction actually simplifies and clarifes our understanding of reproductive behaviour.