University of Copenhagen, Department of Biology
Graduate Course in Tropical Behavioural Ecology and Evolution
(for PhD and MSc students)
Registration period: Nov. 1st –March 8th
Space is limited to 16 Ph.D. and M.Sc. students therefore an application procedure is
necessary. Personal motivation and submission of the required permit paperwork will be part
of the admission criteria in case the course becomes oversubscribed. General observation
permits are provided but Ph.D. students are encouraged to apply for personal permits before
Jan. 1st to allow collection and exportation of specimens relevant for vouchering and research.
Course dates:
April 22nd-29th (preparation and proposal writing) – you are encouraged to start this
process earlier as the PhD students start on April 6th.
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May 2 to 27th (field course in Gamboa, Panama)
June 12th (final paper due, oral exams for M.Sc. students enrolled at the University of
Copenhagen will take place June 21st in Denmark)
Fees:
This 15 ECTS course is subsidized by the Centre for Social Evolution at the University of
Copenhagen (http://socialevolution.ku.dk/) but will still carry a fee of Dkr 9000 for the 26 day
field component in Panama. Expenses for transportation in Panama (trucks, boats and charter
buses), accommodations, and meals will be covered but students will arrange to pay their
flights and personal research permits.
For more information and how to apply for the course please go to:
http://www1.bio.ku.dk/english/research/oe/cse/kurser/ and
http://megalomyrmex.com/Teaching.html. It is essential that you also contact Rachelle
Adams personally at rmmadams@gmail.com for further information on admission
procedures.
Main instructors and organizers:
-Dr. Rachelle M. M. Adams, Centre for Social Evolution, University of Copenhagen and
Smithsonian Institution Postdoctoral Fellow
-Dr. Jacobus J Boomsma, Professor, Centre for Social Evolution, University of Copenhagen, STRI
Senior Research Associate
-Dr. Jonathan Z. Shik, North Carolina State University Postdoctoral Fellow
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Course Goals
 To become familiar with a range of tropical animals, plants and fungi and relevant
tropical research themes in behavioural ecology and evolution, with particular emphasis
on social interactions and parasitic and mutualistic symbioses.
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Instructors have a range of expertises, such as:
 Social evolution, mating systems and symbiont coevolution
 Pollination symbioses
 Social parasites of insect societies
 Ecology and species diversity of tropical communities
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To become familiar with infrastructural aspects of tropical research in behavioural
ecology and evolution (e.g. canopy cranes; permanent monitoring plots; STRI
infrastructural resources)

To understand the principles of proposal writing, research design, and manuscript
preparation in tropical ecology and evolution
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To conduct a short independent project and thereby gain a better understanding of how
to conduct behavioural, ecological and evolutionary fieldwork in tropical systems
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Students will hand in a in a 1500 word proposal in the format of a STRI Short Term
Fellowship application, including a CV and annotated bibliography (in Mendeley), but
excluding transcripts. This is due in April and will be commented on by the instructors,
revised by the students and provided to all course members before the field part of the
course begins.
See: http://www.stri.si.edu/english/education_fellowships/fellowships/index.php
Students will have meetings with instructors before they travel to Panama and will be
expected to be familiar with a reading syllabus of relevant literature, providing the
foundation for pursuing their topics of interest.
To gain proficiency in using tools such as Skype (http://www.skype.com), Mendeley
Desktop (http://www.mendeley.com), Dropbox (http://www.dropbox.com) and STRI
webcasts (http://www.stri.si.edu/english/webcast/recent_webcasts.php) to aid in
remote communication and collaboration
Students will submit a manuscript draft on their research before leaving Panama and a
final draft 16 days later. The format will follow that of a peer reviewed article.
To conduct one small group project emphasizing a collaborative research approach
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All group projects will have an instructor as a mentor and three to five students.
Students will help design their short project but will be limited to the subject decided by
their mentors/instructors (e.g. experimental ecology, community ecology, behaviour,
etc.). A group report will be peer reviewed by another group, revised and completed by
all group members.
The following techniques will be used to inspire experimental and genetic approaches
 Standardized collecting protocols (e.g., invertebrate ALL protocol)
 Collection of live ant colonies for laboratory studies
 Collection of DNA quality samples for possible later molecular/genetic work (not
part of the course and personal permit required)

Organization of collections to promote quality donation of vouchers to natural
history museums
Expectations and Grading
We expect students to prepare for the field component of the course by discussing literature
and their personal field project proposal with instructors to ensure scientific interest and
feasibility. Students will afterwards conduct their personal independent project, participate in
one group project (3-5 students), be present at all lectures and excursions, and participate in
discussion sessions. The grade will be based on a portfolio containing the written proposal and
annotated bibliography (20%), one short write-up based on the group project (20%), logbook
and voucher documentation (10%), and the independent project (50% total, 10% for draft and
40% for final manuscript).
For University of Copenhagen M.Sc. participants: The course is primarily aimed at PhD students
but a select number of M.Sc. students will be admitted. The final grade will be based on a
portfolio containing the written proposal and annotated bibliography (20%), one short write-up
based on the group project (20%), logbook and voucher documentation (10%), and the
independent project (50% ). M.Sc. students will add to their portfolio, approximately 50 pages
of peer reviewed cited literature (usually 7-10 articles) and take an oral exam in the presence of
two examiners (“internal censur”). Oral performance will be factored into the independent
project grade (50% total, 25% for oral performance and portfolio, 5% for draft and 20% for final
manuscript).
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