BIOL 204(F) Animal Behavior
Making sense of what we see while watching animals closely is both an enthralling pastime and a discipline that draws on many aspects of biology. Explanations can be found on many levels: evolutionary theory tells us why certain patterns are implemented, neuroscience gives insights as to how the world appears to the behaving animal, endocrinology provides information on how suites of behaviors are regulated, and genetics lets us know individuals are related. The first part of the course focuses upon how descriptive studies provide the basis for formulating questions about behavior as well as the statistical methods used to evaluate the answers to these questions. We then consider the behavior of individuals, both as it is mediated by biological mechanisms and as it appears from an evolutionary perspective. The second half of the course is primarily concerned with the behaviors of groups of animals from a wide variety of vertebrate and invertebrate species. We will concentrate upon the stimuli, responses, and internal mechanisms that maintain social systems as well as the selection pressures that drive animals toward a particular social system. Lectures and laboratory, six hours a week. Evaluation is based upon one research project, two lab reports, a research paper, and problems. Prerequisite: Biology 102, or Psychology 101, or permission of the instructor. (This course is part of the Critical Reasoning and Analytical Skills initiative. )