Behavioral Ecology

BIO 359J  & BIO 384K.17  -  Fall 2003

 

Lecture: Tue, Thu  11:00 – 12:30,  UTC 3.112                                     Discussions:      unique # 49505: Wed 2:00-3:00, RLM 7.122

                                                                                                                                                unique # 49510: Mon 3:00-4:00, CMA A3.112                                                                                                                                                                          unique # 49515: Wed 3:00-4:00, SZB 380

                                                                                                                                                unique # 50052: TBA (grad discussion)

Instructor: Prof. Ulrich Mueller                                                              Teaching Assistant: Ray Engeszer

Office hours: by appointment, Patterson 629                                                     Office hours: TBA

E-mail: umueller@mail.utexas.edu                                                                     E-mail: rayeng@mail.utexas.edu            Tel: 475-6164  or  232-9308

 

                                                                                                                                       UNDERGRADUATE               GRADUATE

                     TOPIC*                                              LECTURE READING       DISCUSSION READING    DISCUSSION READING

Aug 28 Thu   The scope of behavioral ecology           K&D** chapter 1                       Week 1                                           Week 1

                     Course organization & overview                                                              no discussion sections               no discussion sections

 

Sep 2   Tue   Behavior as an adaptation                              Sherman 1988                       Week 2                                        Week 2

Sep 4   Thu   Hypothesis testing, levels of analysis      K&D chapter 12, 284-290          Williams 1966, chapter 1          Gould & Lewontin 1979;

Sep 4   Thu   PAPER 1 ASSIGNED                                                                                                                          Williams 1966, chapter 1

                                                                                                           

COOPERATION AND CONFLICT

Sep 9   Tue   Reciprocity                                                    Trivers 1971                          Week 3                                        Week 3

Sep 11 Thu   Indirect reciprocity and reputation                  K&D chapter 11, 265-283    Fisher 1980; Trivers 1971             Fisher 1980; Trivers 1971

                     Student Presentations 1                                                                                                                                  

 

Sep 16 Tue   Kin selection and altruism                      Griffin & West 2002              Week 4                                         Week 4

Sep 18 Thu   Reproductive skew                                        Clutton-Brock 1998              Reeve & Nonacs 1992;                Reeve & Nonacs 1992;

                     Student Presentations 2                                                                               Clutton-Brock et al. 2001                  Clutton-Brock et al. 2001

Sep 18 Thu   PAPER 1 DUE THURSDAY SEPT 18 BY MIDNIGHT, PER E-MAIL TO: umueller@mail.utexas.edu

 

Sep 23 Tue   Eusociality                                                     K&D chapter 9, 203-219      Week 5                                        Week 5

                     Student Presentations 3                                  Crespi 2001                          Strassmann et al. 2000;                      Strassmann et al. 2000;

Sep 25 Thu   Guest lecture: Joan Strassmann                                                                   Kessin 2000                                 Kessin 2000; Queller et al. 2003;

                                                                                                                                                                                            Crespi & Springer  2003                                

 

Sep 30 Tue   Guest lecture: Joel Sachs                       Sachs et al. 2004                   Week 6                                         Week 6

Oct 2   Thu   Mutualism                                                                                                   West 2001                                    West et al. 2001;

                     Student Presentations 4                                                                                                                                   West et al. 2002

 

Oct 7   Tue   EXAM I                                              Bourke 1995, chapter 2         Week 7                                         Week 7

Oct 9   Thu   Levels of selection                                                                                      Boehm 1997                                 Leigh & Vermeij 2002

                     Student Presentations 5                                                                                                                                  

                                                                                                                        (over)

REPRODUCTION AND PARENTAL INVESTMENT                                 

Oct 14 Tue   Reproductive value, & sex ratio   allocation    K&D chapter 9, 220-227      Week 8                                        Week 8

Oct 16 Thu   Mate competition & relatedness asymmetry    Mehdiabadi et al. 2003       Trivers & Hare 1976;               Trivers & Hare 1976;

                     Student Presentations 6                                                                               Mehdiabadi et al. 2003                      Mehdiabadi et al. 2003

 

Oct 21 Tue   Parent-offspring conflict                                 Godfrey 1999; Trivers 1974  Week 9                                        Week 9

Oct 23 Thu   Infanticide and siblicide                                  Mock & Parker 1998            Hager & Johnstone 2003       Hager & Johnstone 2003;

                     Student Presentations 7                                                                                                                                   Trivers 1974

 

Oct 28 Tue   Mating systems                                              K&D chapter 6                     Week 10                                      Week 10

                     Student Presentations 8                                                                               Emlen & Oring 1977             Owens 2002;

Oct 30 Thu   EXAM II                                                                                                                                                       Emlen & Oring 1977

                    

                                                           

SEXUAL SELECTION

Nov 4  Tue   Sexual selection I                                  K&D chapter 8                     Week 11                                 Week 11

Nov 6  Thu   Sexual selection II                                                                                       Ryan et al. 1990; Ryan 1998 Ryan et al. 1990; Ryan 1998

                     Student Presentations 9                        

           

Nov 11 Tue   Guest lecture: Mike Ryan                                                                         Week 12                                 Week 12

Nov 13  Thu  Female control and cryptic choice                  K&D chapter 6                     Wilkinson & Reillo 1994;       Wilkinson & Reillo 1994;

                     Student Presentations 10                                                                          Wilkinson et al. 1998;               Wilkinson et al. 1998;

                                                                                                                                       Hurst & Pomiankowski 1998 Hurst & Pomiankowski 1998

 

Nov 18  Tue  Sperm competition                                         K&D chapter 6                     Week 13                                      Week 13

Nov 18 GRANT DUE NOV 18 IN CLASS                                                 Rice 1996;                                     Rice 1996;

Nov 20  Thu  Sexual conflict                                               Lessells 1999                        Chapman & Partridge 1996;              Chapman & Partridge 1996;    

                     Student Presentations 11                                                                          Pizzari & Birkhead 2000           Pizzari & Birkhead 2000

 

Nov 25  Tue  Evolutionary psychology I                              Daly & Wilson 1999              Week 14                                      Week 14

                                                                                                                                       no discussion sections                    no discussion sections                   

Nov 27 Thu  No class – Thanksgiving break                                                                                                          

 

Dec 2   Tue   Evolutionary psychology II                             Daly & Wilson 1999              Week 15                                      Week 15

                     Student Presentations 12                                                                          Buss 2000                                Buss 2000

 

Dec 4  Thu   EXAM III ***

                                                                       

 

*      Dates and topics may change slightly.

**    K&D = JR Krebs and NB Davis, Behavioral Ecology (4th edition), Blackwell Science, 1997.

***  There will be no exam during finals week.  Exam III is given instead of the final exam.