Behavioral Ecology
Course Code
DIC 8013
Credits
Three ( lectures: 3 hr per week)
Organizers
Dr. Yuying Hsu
Lecturers
Dr. Sheng-Feng Shen and Dr. Yuying Hsu
Time
14:10-17:00, Wednesday
Place
First Class: S504 (Gongguan Campus), NTNU
2nd Week~: 2F Conference Room, Biodiversity Research Center
(Yellow Building), AS
Prerequisites
None
Description
Purpose
Reference
Grade
The course is designed for graduate students who want to better understand
the evolution, adaptive significance, and mechanisms of animal behavior.
Active learning will be crucial for taking this course and every participant of
the course will be asked to explain and discuss course contents in every
class.
1. To inspire a greater curiosity about animal behavior (including human).
2. To gain mastery at asking and answering questions about the
mechanisms and evolution of behavior.
Textbook
An Introduction to Behavioural Ecology, Fourth Edition by Davies,
Krebs, West (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012)
Discussion and Exams
Written Assignment
50%
50%
Date
Topic
Week 1
Natural Selection, Ecology and Behaviour (Dr. Yuying Hsu)
Week 2
Testing Hypotheses in Behavioural Ecology (Dr. Yuying Hsu)
Week 3
Economic Decisions and the Individual (Dr. Yuying Hsu)
Week 4
Predators versus Prey: Evolutionary Arms Races (Dr. Sheng-Feng Shen)
Week 5
Competing for Resources (Dr. Sheng-Feng Shen)
Week 6
Living in Groups (Dr. Sheng-Feng Shen)
Week 7
Sexual Selection, Sperm Competition and Sexual Conflict (Dr. Sheng-Feng
Shen)
Week 8
Parental Care and Family Conflicts (Dr. Sheng-Feng Shen)
Week 9
Mating Systems (Dr. Sheng-Feng Shen)
1
Behavioral Ecology 2012
Week 10
Sex Allocation (Dr. Sheng-Feng Shen)
Week 11
Social Behaviours: Altruism to Spite (Dr. Sheng-Feng Shen)
Week 12
Cooperation (Dr. Sheng-Feng Shen)
Week 13
Altruism and Conflict in the Social Insects (Dr. Sheng-Feng Shen)
Week 14
Communication and Signals (Dr. Sheng-Feng Shen)
Week 15
Darwinian Medicine (Dr. Sheng-Feng Shen)
Week 16
Project presentation (Dr. Sheng-Feng Shen)
Week 17
Project presentation (Dr. Sheng-Feng Shen)
Week 18
Project presentation (Dr. Sheng-Feng Shen)
2