Biology 353 - Comparative Behavior
Instructor: Fred Singer
Office: 31 Curie Hall
Office Hours: M 11-12; 2-3 T 4-5;
W 10-12
Office Phone: x5115
Home Phone: 633-0142 (before 9 PM)
email: fsinger@radford.edu
Text: Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach (7th edition) by John Alcock
Welcome to Comparative Behavior. In this course, we will explore the diversity of behavioral
traits shown by animals. We will attempt to make some order of this chaotic diversity by searching for
explanatory trends or patterns underlying the variability we see between different groups and different
species. As we attempt to fit species-specific behavior into explanatory models, we will also appreciate
that even within species, there is tremendous variation between individuals. While it is a no-duh concept
to those of you who have grown up with dogs and cats that individuals are different, it is much more
surprising that the same can be said about mosquitoes, leeches and ants. But it’s true.
This course emphasizes both observational and experimental approaches to the study of animal
behavior. In this context, there will be major emphasis on using quantitative analyses to answering
questions about animal behavior. The readings for the course will use the textbook and also draw from
primary and secondary sources within the animal behavior literature.
The study of animal behavior is traditionally divided into two areas: (1) inquiries into mechanisms
underlying behavior, and (2) investigations into the adaptive significance of particular suites of behavior.
This course will have a slightly heavier emphasis on adaptive significance.
The topics of discussion include:
1. Instincts and learning
2. Development of behavior
3. Behavioral genetics
4. Nervous systems and nerve cells
5. Organization of behavior
6. Evolution of behavior
7. Habitat selection by animals
8. Feeding behavior
9. Antipredator tactics
10. Sexual reproduction and differences between males and females
11. Social behavior and mating systems
I will use several different types of instruction to encourage (coerce) you to become actively
involved in scientific inquiry. Traditional lecture format will be supplemented by informal discussion
groups that tackle papers from the primary literature. Laboratories will teach skills of observation,
analysis, hypothesis formulation and hypothesis testing. We will statistically analyze data we collect
during our laboratory investigations
Goals and objectives of the course
The primary goal of this course is to learn science by doing science. You will be expected to take an
active part in your education by experiencing many different types of problems associated with scientific
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inquiry, and you will be encouraged to resolve these problems by yourselves (with help from me) and as
part of a group. One of the major problems facing behavioral scientists is the difficulty of measuring
components of behavior; thus there will be a heavy emphasis on analysis of behavioral patterns. Once you
develop some expertise in this area (from readings, discussions and laboratory exercises), you will choose
a project that involves analysis of behavior of the animal of your choice. Because this course will have a
strong emphasis on the interaction between animal behavior and the environment, your final research
projects will be conducted in a natural or semi-natural setting (a backyard or zoo is fine - a fish tank is not
- unless it is a very large tank).
Due dates for various assignments (Lab Dates and special events in Bold Letters)
Date
Assignment
Jan 10
Jan 12
Jan 12
Jan 17
Jan 19
Jan 19
Jan 24
Jan 26
Jan 26
Read Chapter 1
Start Chapter 2
Human Behavior Lab # 1 - observation
Finish Chapter 2
Start Chapter 3
Human Behavior Lab # 2 – manipulation
Finish Chapter 3
Start Chapter 4
First 2 hours – Design human behavior lab # 3
Last hour - Discussion # 1 (Typed answers to questions on article due at beginning
of class)
Jan 31
Finish Chapter 4
Feb 2
Start Chapter 5
Feb 2
Conduct human behavior lab # 3 (Group papers on Discussion # 1 due)
Feb 7
Finish Chapter 5
Feb 9
Exam 1
Feb 9
Fish Lab # 1
Feb 14
Start Chapter 6
Feb 16
Finish Chapter 6
Feb 16
Design Fish Lab # 2 (reports on human behavior # 3 due)
Feb 21
Start Chapter 7
Feb 23
Finish Chapter 7
Feb 23
Discussion # 2 (Typed answers to questions on article due at beginning of class)
Fish Lab # 2 conducted during the week
Feb 26
Zoo trip (required either Feb 26 or March 5)
Feb 28
Start Chapter 9
March 2
Finish Chapter 9 (Group papers on Discussion # 2 due)
March 2
No lab (Zoo trip on Feb 26 or March 5)
March 5
Zoo trip (required either Feb 26 or March 5)
March 7
Start Chapter 10
March 9
Finish Chapter 10 (Fish Lab # 2 report due)
March 9
No lab (Zoo trip on Feb 26 or March 5)
March 21
Begin Chapter 11
March 23
Exam 2 (chapters 6 – 10)
March 23
Final Research Project Lab # 1 (Developing proposals for independent projects)
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March 28
March 30
March 30
April 4
April 6
April 6
April 11
April 13
April 13
April 18
April 20
April 20
April 25
April 27
April 27
April 29
May 2 (2 PM)
Finish Chapter 11
Start Chapter 12
Final Research Project Lab # 2
Research proposal due - Peer review of research project proposals
Continue Chapter 12 (Revised proposal due at beginning of Monday lecture)
Set time to meet with me during April 6 lab time
Finish Chapter 12
Zoo Lab due
Meet with me to discuss your project – begin research
Begin Chapter 13
Finish Chapter 13
Final Research Project - continue with research
Literature Review due at 2 PM
Start Chapter 14
Finish Chapter 14
Final Research Project - finish research
Start Chapter 15 Finish Chapter 15
Final Research Project - poster session
Formal Report due at 4 PM
Exam 3 (final)
Explanation of activities
Exams are entities that you are probably familiar with. They are a form of torture that coerces
students to learn. Unfortunately, they are effective, so I’m going to have them. They will be of mixed
format (combination of essay, short answer and multiple choice). I will allow students to bring into the
exam a sheet of paper on which they can write anything they want. This sheet must be hand-written by the
individual student (you can’t photocopy someone else’s sheet).
Class discussion will happen at least twice (as scheduled) and I may cancel a lecture and have a third
class discussion (we’ll see how it goes). You will be given an assignment to read a paper or series of
papers from the primary literature, and to answer some questions. Your answers will be typed and doublespaced. You will photocopy the paper(s) (on reserve at the library) and bring them to the class, along with
your answers to the questions. During class you will break into small groups and answer some other
questions that I give you.
There will be three major laboratories that you do during the semester, and one very major final
project. You will be expected to write a research report for both the fish and zoo lab, using the format that
I will have on reserve at the library. The final project (described in detail below) will be divided into three
parts. First, you will write a research proposal that is subjected to review by your peers - you will then
revise your proposal to account for their comments. After doing your revision, you will meet with me, and
I will discuss your project with you. I may ask you to do another revision of your proposal. Second, you
will write a literature review that discusses some of the literature relevant to what you are proposing. This
will give you some background in your area of interest. Finally, you will do the actual project, make a
poster that highlights your major findings, and write up a complete research report on your findings.
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I also reserve the right to, at my discretion, give extra credit to people who make unusually good
contributions to class discussion during lecture or laboratory. Thus a major contributor to class discussion
may find themselves with a higher final grade that a silent person who has a higher final point total. So
give freely and often.
Grade Scale
89.6%+
79.6-89.5%
69.6-79.5%
59.6-69.5%
59.6%-
A
B
C
D
unmentionable
Final research project
This project may be done as a solo effort, or in groups of up to 3 people. Groups will be expected to
generate a somewhat more ambitious project than an individual working alone, but in general, you will
probably find it more efficient to work with someone else. The choice is yours.
Your proposal will involve research on the organism of your choice. You may use any animal in its
natural environment. I’m defining natural environment fairly broadly, to include goldfish in the pond by
this building, and ducks in artificial duck ponds, or dogs in backyards. If you use domesticated animals,
you should keep in very close contact with me, because I will be very stringent in what I allow and
disallow. Any work on Vertebrates that involves touching the animals must be approved by the campus
Animal Care and Use Committee (animals without backbones are not considered animals by that
committee). Humans are animals, but they are on the disallowed group. You may use animals at a zoo, so
long as they have some environment to interact with. Of course you will need to have enough animals for
statistical analyses.
There are 4 components to the process of doing the final project. Here they are.
I. Research Proposal - due March 30. This typed and double-spaced paper consists of two parts:
a) Introduction - In this section you describe briefly and clearly what question you are asking, and what
hypotheses (if any) you are testing. If you are testing hypotheses, make sure that you include predictions
of your hypotheses.
b) Methods - In this section you describe precisely what your experimental design will be. You should
describe the experiments/observations in enough detail so that I could carry out your wishes by reading
your methods, and doing what you tell me to do (I call this the Golden Rule of Methods sections - on your
first lecture exam I will ask you to tell me what the Golden Rule of Methods sections is). When you turn
in your research proposal on March 30, it will be reviewed by some of your colleagues in the class.
During that laboratory period, several things will happen. Your colleagues will make suggestions to you
about how it can be improved. You will read their comments and begin to revise your proposal if you
think their comments are justified. On April 4, you will turn in your original proposal, the reviewers’
comments, and your revised (typed) proposal. The methods section of research proposals should be
written in the future tense (because you are describing what you will be doing in the future). The
methods section of research reports should be written in the past tense (because you are describing work
that you’ve already done).
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II. Literature review - due April 13. You will write a review of the literature regarding the question you are
addressing. Your review should include a discussion of both the species you are working on, and also the
question you are asking. For example, if you topic is ‘territoriality in mallard ducks’, you review should
include some background information on mallards, and also some discussion on the topic of territoriality
in general. I am requiring a minimum of five journal/book references for an individual working alone, and
8 journal/book references for people working in groups. In addition, you should have at least one website
reference. You should not use encyclopedias or dictionaries as references (even if they’re online).
III. Poster session - due April 27. We will have a poster session/party for our last lab. Details to follow.
IV. Final paper - due April 29. This will be a paper written in scientific format. See “How to Write
Research Reports” (on reserve) for format instructions. Your Literature Review from April 13 will help
you with the Introduction and Discussion sections, and your Research Proposal from April 4 will help you
with the Methods section. Remember to change future tense to past tense, and talk about what you did
(which will very likely differ in some ways from what you proposed to do). You will also have a
Literature Cited section (some of this will also be from your Literature Review). There is no minimum
number of references, but a paper with only a few references will be downgraded.
Have fun.
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