Module BIOL2391: BEHAVIOUR

Department: Biological and Biomedical Sciences

BIOL2391: BEHAVIOUR

Prerequisites

• Introduction to Plants, Animals & Ecology AND Diversity of life.

Corequisites

• Introduction to Plants, Animals & Ecology AND Diversity of life.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• In this module students examine how animals find and defend resources, including food, shelter and mates, how they avoid predators and care for their young, and why animals often live together in groups involving social interactions, leading to complex and fascinating social behaviours such as cooperation, altruism and culture. The module will explore the underlying and interacting mechanisms that control behaviour, including sensory, neural, endocrine and cognitive (learning) processes, as well as the genetic basis of behaviour. A major focus throughout the module will be on the adaptive value of behaviours in helping animals to survive and reproduce successfully in a particular social and physical environment. To understand behaviour fully, we need to consider all levels of biological organisation, from molecules to memes (culture), making the study of animal behaviour one of the most interdisciplinary and integrative aspects of biology.
• To provide students with detailed knowledge of the basis of behaviour from an ethological standpoint that extends from the Level 1 Introduction to animal and plant biology, and ecology lectures on Animal Behaviour.
• To promote an appreciation of the organization, development and characteristics of behaviour in relation to the environment.
• To provide an integrative perspective of the links between behaviour, physiology and ecology.
• To provide an understanding of the proximate (mechanistic) and ultimate (functional) causes of behaviour.
• To promote an appreciation of the evolutionary and adaptive significance of behaviour.
• To introduce students to the role of quantitative modelling within the study of behaviour.
• To provide students with direct experience of conducting behavioural studies.

Content

• A general introduction to the history and development of the study of animal behaviour.
• Finding somewhere to live: including habitat selection, territories, migration and navigation.
• Exploiting the environment: finding food (including foraging models, foraging behaviour of herbivores and carnivores).
• Antipredator behaviour.
• Social interactions: including dominance relationships, sociality and group living.
• How to study behaviour: Behavioural observations, laboratory and field studies.
• Control, development and mechanisms of behaviour: Genetic basis of behaviour, nervous systems, hormonal control of behaviour, biological clocks, motivation, instinct and learning.

Learning Outcomes

• Ability to integrate the proximate and ultimate causes of behaviour.
• Critically assess the adaptive significance of behaviours.
• Comprehend the role of quantitative modelling within behavioural studies.
• Appreciate, from an evolutionary context, the manner by which behaviour is initiated, organised and regulated.
• Understand the experimental procedures used to investigate animal behaviour.
• Consider the relative costs and benefits of behaviours and their adaptive significance.

• An understanding of the proximate and ultimate causes of behaviour.
• Ability to critically assess the adaptive significance of behaviours.
• An understanding of the role of quantitative modelling within behavioural studies.
• Ability to appreciate, from an evolutionary context, the manner by which behaviour is initiated, organised and regulated.
• Understand the experimental procedures used to investigate the causes and functions of animal behaviour.

• Comprehend the importance of rigorous observation in science.
• Acquire and critically interpret published studies of animal behaviour.
• Scientific writing.
• Basic understanding of quantitative modeling procedures and cost-benefits analyses.
• Presentation skills.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures deliver core and specialised knowledge.
• Field Work and Laboratory work allow students to utilise the knowledge gained from lectures, and support the development of key and subject-specific skills.
• Assessed practical reports will provide development of data analysis and interpretation skills and the ability to communicate science effectively.
• Unseen examinations measure knowledge and the application and interpretation of that knowledge. They also test key skills in ability to present arguments and communicate them effectively in a concise written form.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Practicals. Web-based self-test questions.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University