行為生態學和社會生物學發表評論，原始的貢獻和評論處理定量的經驗和理論研究的分析動物行為在個人，群體，人口，社區和物種的水平。“方法”一節審議關于統計程序及其問題以及與測量技術有關的問題的意見書。除了近因的機械學研究外，還特別強調行為的終極功能和生態適應的進化。特別感興趣的方面包括種內行為互動，特別關注利他主義、合作和父母關懷等社會行為;受精卵前和受精卵后的性別選擇;親緣關系識別和親緣關系選擇;群體結構;社會網絡;種間行為交互包括競爭、資源分配、物種形成、覓食、互惠、捕食者-被捕食者交互和寄生;信號、行為生態生理學、信息處理和神經生態學;行為遺傳學;社會基因組學、行為可塑性和行為綜合征;空間和時間上的分散和定向;以及相關的進化和功能理論。主編分別為德國波恩的Theo c.m. Bakker(脊椎動物)和美國波士頓的James f.a. Traniello(無脊椎動物)。

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology publishes reviews, original contributions and commentaries dealing with quantitative empirical and theoretical studies in the analysis of animal behavior at the level of the individual, group, population, community, and species. The section "Methods" considers submissions concerning statistical procedures and their problems, as well as with problems related to measurement techniques.Special emphasis is placed on ultimate functions and evolution of ecological adaptations of behavior, in addition to mechanistic studies of proximate cause.Among aspects of particular interest are intraspecific behavioral interactions, with special focus on social behavior including altruism, cooperation and parental care; pre- and postzygotic sexual selection;kin recognition and kin selection, group structure, social networks; interspecific behavioral interactions including competition, resource partitioning, speciation, foraging, mutualism, predator-prey interactions and parasitism; signalling, behavioral ecophysiology, information processing and neuroecology; behavioral genetics; sociogenomics, behavioral plasticity and behavioral syndromes; dispersal and orientation in space and time; and relevant evolutionary and functional theory.The Chief Editors are Theo C. M. Bakker, Bonn, Germany (vertebrates) and James F. A. Traniello, Boston, U.S.A. (invertebrates).