This is an introductory lecture and laboratory course that deals with a biological approach to the study of animal behaviour. It also introduces students to the study of behavioural ecology by examining basic ecological problems and evaluating the behavioural solutions animals use to solve them. The behaviour of an animal is as basic a biological attribute as its morphology or physiology.
Structure evolves together with function.
The course presents an overview of diverse subdisciplines within the behavioural sciences. Applied animal ethology and human ethology are also discussed. The laboratory consists of field experiments, followed by laboratory experiments, and finally a brief research project. Emphasis is on the progression from observation to description, hypothesis testing, data analysis, and interpretation of results in terms of biological significance. Brown, L. and Downhower, J.F. 1988.