INTRODUCTION TO ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

Biology 4347

10-11:30, Tuesday-Thursday–203 SEC

Blaine J. Cole Office: 321 G S&R II; Phone: 3-2679; email: bcole@uh.edu

Textbook: John Alcock. Animal Behavior, 9th edition.

Date

Topic

Reading in Alcock

Other Materials. Streaming video and sound files

Tue, Jan 17

Introduction: Evolution and Behavior

Ch. 1 - 2, Ch.3 pp. 63- 88

Trap Jaw Bouncer, Trap Jaw Take Off, Trap Jaw Up Close, Gliding C atratus, Wheel Running Mice

Thur, Jan 19 (Last day to add a class is Jan 24)

Evolution of Behavior, cont.

 

Adaptation

Finish previous readings. Ch. 6, pp 183- 195 then Ch. 3 pp. 88 - 105

Gentoo Food Chase

Hermit thrush, Carolina Wren, Marsh Wren, White-crowned sparrow, Brewer’s Sparrow, zcalder, zctrans, zcgrass, zcpuno, Great Tit UK, Great Tit Denmark

Tue, Jan 24

Adaptation, cont.

Ch. 6, pp 183- 195 then Ch. 3 pp. 88 - 105

Thur, Jan 26

Sensing the world, navigation*

Ch. 4, Mechanisms of Orientation and Navigation (on MyNSM)

Elephant Infrasound, Oilbird echolocation clicks, Platypus foraging

 

Tue, Jan 31 (last day to drop-no grade is Feb 1)

Sensing the world, navigation

Thur, Feb 2

Where to live - migration and habitat selection*

Ch. 8, Ch. 4 pp. 137 - 147

 

shark biting electrode, Cataglyphis foraging

Tue, Feb 7

Migration and habitat selection, territoriality

Thur, Feb 9

Honeybees*

Ch. 3, pp. 63-69; Ch 7 pp. 238- 247

Honeybee Life Cycle, Waggle Dance, Decoding the Dance,

Tue, Feb 14

Communication

Ch. 9

Thur, Feb 16

First Exam

Tue, Feb 21

Avoiding being eaten

Ch. 7, Ch. 6 pp. 196- 217

octopus

Thur, Feb 23

Avoiding being eaten, cont. Finding food - economics*

Ch. 9 pp. 317- 319

Stotting, Skylark Singing

Tue, March 28

Finding food, cont. communication and recruitment

Ch. 7, pp.219-238; Ch. 9, pp. 309-311

Harris Hawk Hunting

Thur, March 1

Sexual Selection*

Ch. 10, pp. 329-345; 352-359

Elephant Seals, Wolves mating-locking, Heliconius pupal guarding-marking, Hanging flies, Red Backed spiders

Tue, March 6

Mate choice

Ch. 11, Ch. 9 pp. 299-309, Ch. 10 pp. 360-376

Wart-biter crickets mating, Helicopter damselflies, Peacock1, Temminck’s Tragopan, Bulwer’s Pheasant, Argus Pheasant, Rifle bird display, House finch plumage, Widowbird display

Thur, March 8

Dunnocks*

Dunnocks, Davies dunnocks

Tue, March 13

Spring Break

Thur, March 15

Spring Break

    

Tue, March 20

Mating Systems

Ch. 11

Superb Fairy Wren, elk, Sea louse polygyny, great tailed grackle, red-winged blackbird, Cock of the rock, Manakin displays, Topi lek, Satin Bowerbird, Vogelkop Bower bird, Jacana polyandry infanticide, infanticide lions

Thur, March 22

Alternative* Mating/Reproductive Systems

Ch. 10 pp. 345-352

Blue gill alternative male strategies, blue-headed wrasse sex change

Tue, March 27

Second Exam

    

Thur, March 29

Raising young*

Ch. 12, Ch. 10 pp. 324 - 327

Rhea-mating/nesting, Begging, Linnet gapes

Tue, April 3

Raising young

April 3 is last day to drop

Ch. 12, Ch. 9 pp. 336-339

Coot brood reduction, Pelican siblicide,

Thur, April 5

Sex ratios and sexual investment*

 

First part of Turtle Project

Ch. 12

See last lecture

Tue, April 9

Lions

Infanticide Lions (again), Female Infanticide defense, twinkle

Thur, April 12

Social Evolution Cooperation and Conflict*

Ch. 13

Belding’s alarm calls, blue manakin teams, long-tailed manakin, Hyaena general

Tue, April 17

Cooperative breeding

Ch. 13

Arabian Babblers

Thur, April 19

Cooperative breeding, Highly social behavior, Eusociality Highly social behavior, Eusociality*

Ch. 13

Meerkat General, Pogo nest

anemone battles, Termites, Mole rats, Damaraland mole rats

Tue, April 24

Chimpanzees and other apes

 

2nd half of Turtle Project

Chimps hunting Colobus

Thur, April 26

Human behavior*

Ch. 14

Thurs May 10 11 am-2 pm

Third Exam

As always, this syllabus subject to change

There is a MyNSM web site that contains all Powerpoint files for the lectures, streaming videos from class and sound files that can be downloaded. You can get access through MyNSM (VClass). If you don’t have a MyNSM account you will need to get one. Everyone who is currently enrolled in this class should have access to this course site. You will find it under MyNSM--VCLASS and ‘My Courses.’ The course material is under Documents. My main goal is to use this as a password protected place to put all the materials used in the course. Look for the readings (Jan 26-31) and grades. If you need to reach me, please use the contact methods at the top of the syllabus–I do not check mail from VMAIL.

Grades:

Your grade in this course will be based on the three exams (60% total), in-class grades (20%) and a Sea Turtle Mapping Project (20%).

In-Class Grades. Every Thursday, beginning Jan 26th, we will have a 5 minute essay. Each essay will count for a maximum of 2 points. There will be 12 of them, so there are 24 possible points. You can get a maximum of 20 points. I will give out small sheets of paper (about 1/4 page) and you will write a few sentences. On some Thursdays the essay will be at the beginning of class, on other days it will be near the end. The dates of essays are indicated with an asterisk under Topic in the syllabus. Expect the essay to cover something relevant to the most recent lectures or readings. Note that the in-class essays equal one exam.

Exams. There will be three exams in this course–the dates are listed on the syllabus. The tests will be essay exams that are given during the class period. Review questions will be posted for you to peruse under Test Information. The tests are not comprehensive, but incorporating information from previous sections of the course will always be valuable.

Sea Turtle Project. In this project everyone will be assigned data from a loggerhead turtle satellite-tagged at Casey Key Florida. Everyone will analyze the movement pattern of their turtle (first part). Their will be a group project in which everyone working with turtles tagged in a particular year will share results (second part).