Description:The encyclopedia gives significant attention to animal ecology and behavior. Entries show how animals are part of the world environment while exhibiting unique behaviors within their own particular environments. Animal ecology addresses how animals are a part of ecosystems and how they interact with plants and other animals, both within and beyond their individual species. Given the close relationship of animal behavior and ecology, a number of entries discuss how animals select mates, whether they live alone or as members of groups, or how they share resources within an ecosystem, to give just a few examples.