An exploration of animal activities on many levels, including behavioral ecology, behavioral endocrinology, and neuroethology. Introductory material emphasizes the manner in which descriptive studies provide the basis for formulating questions about behavior as well as the statistical methods and procedures used to answer these questions. We then consider the behavior of individuals, both as it is mediated by biological mechanisms and as it appears from an evolutionary perspective. The second half of the course is primarily concerned with the behaviors of groups of animals, concentrating upon the stimuli and responses that maintain social systems as well as the selection pressures that drive animals towards a particular social system. Special attention will be given throughout the course to communication, and examples will be drawn from a broad spectrum of vertebrate and invertebrate species.
Evaluation is based upon two exams, a paper, and several laboratory reports.
Biology 102 or permission of the instructor. Satisfies distribution requirement in major.