BIO 5063 - Animal Behavior

Credits: 4

Animals have evolved a remarkable diversity of behavioral patterns, used in a wide range of ecological and social contexts. Our goal in the first part of this course will be to examine the mechanisms responsible for the expression of behavior in animals: the genes, hormones, neurons and muscles that create behavior in an animal. Our next goal in the course will be to examine the evolutionary basis of behavior, asking, for example, why animals forage, hide, communicate, and socialize as they do. To address these questions, we make use of optimality theory, game theory and other behavioral ecological perspectives.

Other topics in the course will include sexual selection, human behavior, and real-world applications of animal behavior. The laboratory component of the course consists of two projects, the first of which involving a series of weekend whale watches conducting field research on cetaceans in the Gulf of Maine. The second is a lab-based investigation of fish reproductive and/or aggressive behavior.