BIOL 3360 Animal Behaviour
Instructor: Dr. James F. Hare: Biological Sciences Building (Rm. 222); 474-6379
e-mail: harejf@cc.umanitoba.ca
Office Hours: Anytime outside lecture and lab hours (schedule beside office door)
Lecture: 301 Biological Sciences Building: Slot 03; M, W, F 1030-1120 h
Text: Dugatkin, L.A. 2009. Principles of Animal Behavior, 2nd Ed.,
New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 642 pp.
Supplementary Reading: Sherman, P.W. & Alcock, J. 2010. Exploring Animal Behavior –
Readings from American Scientist 5th Ed., Sunderland, Sinauer Associates, 377 pp.
Lab/Tutorial: Locations as per Schedule Pgs. 3-4: B01 Slot 21; M 1430-1725 h, or,
B02 Slot 23; T 1430-1725 h
Teaching Assistant: B01: Ms. Angela Freeman: 116 Biological Sciences Building, 474-6379
e-mail: freeman.angie@gmail.com
B02: Mr. Cole Robson-Hyska: Campus Office Location TBA, 799-5919
e-mail: radicole@hotmail.com
Course Web Page: http://umanitoba.ca/science/zoology/faculty/hare/z310/index.html
Objectives: The course begins with an examination of the origins of the study of animal
behaviour, contrasting the approaches of comparative psychologists and ethologists. Adopting an
integrated approach, we then examine the four types of questions one might pose regarding
behaviour (immediate causation, development, function, and evolution) and address the genetic
and physiological underpinnings of behaviour. With that background, we will consider the
behaviour of individuals in terms of orientation and migration, foraging, and antipredator
behaviour. Finally, we will examine the biological basis of social behaviour, consider the utility and
limitations of sociobiological theory, and explore the relationship between behaviour and
conservation. In the laboratory, you will be introduced to methods employed in the study of
behaviour through a laboratory experiment and tutorials. You will apply the knowledge gained in
those tutorials to compile an ethogram and conduct an observational study of your own design at
the Assiniboine Park Zoo.
2
Lecture Outline:
Topic
Approximate #
of Lectures
Chapter(s) From
Dugatkin (2nd Ed.)
Introduction to Course
1
none
History: Ethology vs.
Comparative Psychology
1
1 (4-5)
Classic Concepts I: Ethology
0.5
1 (6-10)
Classic Concepts II:
Comparative Psychology and
Elementary Learning Theory
0.5
1 (10-16)
Learning Theory, Behaviorism
and The Nature/Nurture
Controversy
1.5
4 (119-131)
Tinbergen's 4 questions:
The Integrated Approach
and Behavioural Ecology
1
1 (5-6)
1 (16-21)
3 (74-81)
Behaviour and the "Selfish
Gene": Adaptation and
Natural Selection
1.5
2 (28-44)
Evolutionarily Stable
Strategies and
Game Theory
3
13 (437-443)
14 (462-483)
Physiology of Behaviour I:
Nerve Cells & Behaviour
4
3 (90-99)
Physiology of Behaviour II:
Hormones & Behaviour
1.5
3 (81-90)
Midterm Test
Monday October 17th
Development of Behaviour
1.5
3 (103-108)
6 (208-211)
Behaviour of Individuals I:
Orientation & Migration
3
13 (443-451)
Behaviour of Individuals II:
Optimal Foraging
3
10 (336-349)
13 (434-437)
3
Lecture Outline: (continued)
Topic
Behaviour of Individuals III:
Antipredator Behaviour
Approximate #
of Lectures
1.5
Sociality I: Antipredator
Benefits of Group Living
1
Sociality II: Kinship,
Reciprocity and Animal
Social Behaviour
4
The Behaviour/Conservation
Interface (time permitting)
1
Chapter(s) From
Dugatkin (2nd Ed.)
11 (370-393)
none
8 (286-289)
9 (296-331)
none
Lab/Tutorial: The first lab will introduce you to the interplay between physical and social factors
influencing the behaviour of animals. That lab will also provide insight into the pitfalls implicit in
collecting behavioural data and potential ways to control confounding factors. A series of tutorials
and field trips to the Assiniboine Park Zoo will guide you through the design and execution of a
simple observational study on a species of your choice. That work will familiarize you with the
methods employed in the collection of behavioural data and those involved in presenting such data
for publication.
Lab/Tutorial Schedule:
Assignment due dates are shown in italics - 10% will be deducted from the possible mark for each
day an assignment is overdue.
12/13 September (204 Duff Roblin)
Lab Experiment: Sowbug humidity preference
19 Sept. (301 Biological Sciences Building) / 20 Sept. (401 Biological Sciences Building)
Sowbug report due at start of lab
Zoo Project: Formulating a research question, proposal writing, ethical use of
animals in research
Quantifying Behaviour: Ethograms, sampling rules and recording rules
26/27 September (Assiniboine Park Zoo)
Field trip to Assiniboine Park Zoo: selection of study species and
ethogram data collection
3/4 October (Assiniboine Park Zoo)
Assiniboine Park Zoo: Ethogram data collection
4
Lab/Tutorial Schedule: (continued)
10/11 October
No lab meeting given Thanksgiving holiday on 10 October
Ethogram and project proposal due to your TA by 1600 hrs on 11 October
17/18 October (Assiniboine Park Zoo)
Zoo Project: Preliminary data collection
24/25 October (Assiniboine Park Zoo)
Zoo Project: Data collection
31 Oct. (301 Biological Sciences Building) / 1 Nov. (401 Biological Sciences Building)
Zoo Project: Guidelines for data presentation and report writing
25 November
Project report due to your TA by 1600 hours
Evaluation:
Lecture Midterm
Lecture Final (cumulative)
Sowbug Report
Ethogram
Research Proposal
Final Project Report
25
45
5
5
5
15
(17 October)
(Exam Date TBA)
(19/20 September)
(11 October)
(11 October)
(25 November)
100
Academic Integrity: as per University Policy outlined at:
http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/science/student/webdisciplinedocuments.html
VW Date: 16 November 2011
Final Grades:
≥90 = A+
80-89 = A
74-79 = B+
68-73 = B
62-67 = C+
56-61 = C
50-55 = D
<50 = F