Behavioral
Ecology, Bio359J & Zoo384K.17, Fall 2003
Prof.
Ulrich Mueller
Behavioral Ecology explores the evolutionary adaptations and functions of animal behavior. Three broad topics will be emphasized: behavioral conflict and cooperation; mating behavior and parental investment; and sexual selection. Both theory and empirical research will be integrated to understand the evolutionary and behavioral ecology of animals. The course also explores applications - and limits - of an evolutionary framework for understanding human behavioral ecology.
Course organization
The course is divided into two lectures
per week (Tue & Thu 11:00-12:15), plus required discussion sections. Three exams will be given during the semester
(Oct 7, Oct 30, & Dec 4). Each student is expected to participate in a
group project to prepare a concise, 4-minute presentation summarizing a recent
research report from the primary, behavioral-ecological literature. Each
student is also expected to prepare a behavioral-ecological grant application
(max 400 words) following the format of a Grant-In-Aid
of Research from the Sigma-Xi
Scientific Research Society.
Discussion section
Weekly discussions in small groups will
provide an opportunity to read and critique a series of seminal papers and
primary research reports. One or two
short papers are generally selected for each week (see syllabus), and each
student is expected to have carefully perused these readings in advance of the
discussion section. To stimulate
critical thinking, each student is also expected to hand to the TA, at the beginning
of the discussion section, a sheet with two questions pertaining to that week’s
readings. Weekly attendance of a discussion section is mandatory. Both attendance and participation in the
discussions comprise, respectively, 5% and 10% of the course grade.
Course packets of all discussion
readings can be purchased at Longhorn Copies (2520 Guadalupe Street; north-west
corner of campus at Guadalupe and Dean Keeton; open weekdays 7:30am–6:00pm,
closed weekends; phone 476-4498). See
syllabus for readings assigned for each discussion. Undergraduate discussions (BIO 359J) use a
different set of readings than graduate discussions (BIO 384K.17), so make sure
you purchase the right set.
There exists no recent textbook in the
area of behavioral ecology, and I have therefore compiled a set of up-to-date
readings (see syllabus) that combines review articles from scientific journals,
book chapters from specialized volumes, and select chapters from the textbook Behavioral Ecology by JR Krebs and NB
Davis (4th edition) 1997, Blackwell Science. Purchase of this textbook is not required,
and the assigned readings from Behavioral
Ecology can be purchased from Longhorn Copies (see above). The remaining lecture readings (review
articles, etc) can also be purchased as a separate set from Longhorn Copies.
The exams are
given during lecture time on Oct 7, Oct 30, & Dec 4. The exams are non-cumulative and cover (with
few exceptions to be announced) only the material of the course segment ending
with the exam. The third exam on Dec 4th
is given in place of a final exam.
Makeup exams will only be given in the case of a medical or extreme
personal emergency. It is the student’s
responsibility to provide relevant documentation (e.g., a written statement
from your doctor or from the CNS Dean’s office counselors in Welch Hall,
471-4536).
Student Presentations
Lecture material will be explored
further during a series of student presentations (at the end of Thursday
lecture, but sometimes Tuesday), followed by questions from the class. Each student is expected to participate in
the preparation of one 4-minute presentation summarizing a recent research
report from the primary, behavioral-ecological literature. Relevant research reports can be found in the
specialized journals Behavioral Ecology, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology,
Animal Behavior, Ethology, Journal of Ethology, Behavior, etc., but also in
scientific journals such as Nature, Science, Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, etc; all these
journals are accessible as e-journals via the UT Library Online (http://www.lib.utexas.edu/journals/). Students will be randomly assigned at the
beginning of the semester to one of twelve behavioral-ecological topics, but
students are free to trade topics between each other. Undergraduate students will prepare their
presentations in groups of two or three students (only one student needs to
give the actual presentation); graduate students are expected to give their
presentations individually. A sample
presentation will be given by the instructor at the beginning of the semester;
this presentation could serve as a model, but students are encouraged to
organize their own presentations creatively and in whatever way they think
communicates their topic most effectively.
Students are expected to give their presentation as a PowerPoint talk,
including images of the respective study organism, scanned figures or graphs
from the research report, or other relevant visual material. An e-file of the PowerPoint talk should be
given (or e-mailed, if possible) to the TA two days in advance of the day of
the presentation, and the students should be prepared to have a backup set of
overhead transparencies ready in case of computer/PowerPoint problems. Students
are encouraged to select a research report on non-human animals, humans, or
even other organisms (e.g., plants, fungi, bacteria; if the particular topic
applies to these organisms). The twelve
topics are:
(1) direct
reciprocity, indirect reciprocity (Sept 11 2003)
(2) kin selection,
reproductive skew (Sept 18 2003)
(3) eusociality
(Sept 23 2003)
(4) symbiont
choice, conflict within between-species mutualisms (Oct 2 2003)
(5) levels of
selection (Oct 9 2003)
(6) sex-ratio
allocation (relatedness asymmetry, local mate competition, etc) (Oct 16 2003)
(7) parent-offspring
conflict; infanticide & siblicide (Oct 23 2003)
(8) mating
systems (Oct 28 2003)
(7) sexual
selection (Nov 6 2003)
(10) female
control, cryptic choice (Nov 13 2003)
(11) sexual
conflict, sperm competition (Nov 20 2003)
(12)
evolutionary psychology (Nov 25 2003)
Each student is expected to prepare a
behavioral-ecological grant application following the format of a Grant-In-Aid of Research from the Sigma-Xi Scientific Research Society. The grant application should consist of three
parts: (a) the proposal itself (maximum of 400 words), explaining relevant
background information, the study question or hypotheses to be addressed, and
the research methods; (b) a list of references; and (c) a research budget (not
to exceed $1000). Because of the word
limit of 400 words, students are advised to draft their proposals carefully,
preferentially asking other students to read their proposals for commenting,
then revising proposals accordingly. The
proposal will be graded for both research merit and presentation
(logical flow, language, succinctness, verbosity, etc.). Specific guidelines for the grant application
and a sample will be handed out at the beginning of the semester. The grant
application is due (in hard copy) on Nov 18 at class time.
Grading
Three exams will be given during the semester. Exams are non-cumulative, covering (with few exceptions to be announced) only the material of the course segment ending with the exam. Discussion participation/attendance and the Forum presentation will also contribute to the overall course grade. The student presentations will be graded according to overall group performance/creativity, as well as the relative contribution of each student to the presentation.
15% Exam 1
15%
Exam 2
15% Exam 3
15% Paper (2-3 pages; hypothesis testing)
10% Student presentation (4 minutes)
15% Grant application (400 words main text;
references & budget)
15% Discussion (5% attendance; 10%
participation)
Because undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled in different courses, they will not be graded against each other.