BIO/MAR 360: Behavioral Ecology Laboratory

Professor Jeannette Yen: Discovery 159, 632-6913, jyen@notes.cc.sunysb.edu

 Professor Charles Janson: Life Sciences 672, 632-8584, Charles.Janson@sunysb.edu

 Professor James Thomson: Life Sciences 650, 632-8603, James.Thomson@sunysb.edu

Teaching Assistant: Erin R. Vogel: Life Sciences 623, 2-8600, evogel@life.bio.sunysb.edu
 

Welcome! In this class, we'll see, hear, touch, smell Nature in the laboratory and in the field. We will learn how to observe and analyze animal behavior. Our classes will run from 12:50-5:50pm on Tuesday afternoons. Approximately one hour is spent in lecture, one hour in discussion, 3 hours in laboratory. Classes will have a quiz on reading material. The 15-page term paper, based on independent research, is due on December 14. There will be no final examination! There will be three 6-page laboratory reports to hand in.
GRADES: Students will be graded on their participation in discussion (10%), quizzes (30%), laboratory reports (30%), term paper (20%), symposium presentation (10%).
 

SCHEDULE/SYLLABUS

Week #  Date                    LABORATORY

1       September 7             Foraging Choice Behavior [Bees]

2       September 14            Ideal-free Distributions [Swans]

WELD field trip: September 18: rain date: Sept 19

3       September 21            Vacancy Chains [Hermit Crabs]

4       September 28            Grooming [Monkeys]
                                *Proposal for term paper due.

Port Jefferson Harbor cruise/Flax Pond/Roth Pond field trip: October 2          

5       October 5               Aquatic Signaling [Plankton, Fish]
                                *Laboratory report #1 due.

6       October 12              Spatial Foraging [Bees]: [with Lab 7]
                        
Bronx Zoo field trip: Oct. 17

7       October  19             Kin Recognition [Bees]: [with Lab 6]

8       October  26             Social Hierarchies [Crickets]
                                *Laboratory report #2 due.

9       November 2              Courtship [Crickets]

10      November 9              Songs and Auditory Signaling [Crickets]

11      November 16             Aggression [Siamese Bettas]
                                Post advertisement for Student  Symposium.
                        
12      November 23             Tit-for-tat during Predator Inspection [Guppies]
                                *Laboratory report #3 due.
Thanksgiving break


13      November 30             Nuts and Bolts [Human Spatial Foraging]
                                Final Analyses for Independent Project

14      December 7              Student Symposium [class behavior]

15      December 14             term paper due.

In this course, we will read articles from the scientific literature including: a recent review, a classic paper, and a paper on experimental methods. You are responsible for these readings. These papers MUST be read prior to class. You will be quizzed on them! Animal Behavior. An Evolutionary Approach, by John Alcock, is the recommended reference text for this course.

 Go To Reading List