Why do fish form schools? How do lizards resolve territorial disputes? Why do penguin parents kidnap foster chicks? What makes worker bees sacrifice their individual life and reproductive ability for the good of the hive? To answer all of these questions, we will study the ecological role and evolutionary origin of animal behavior. We will consider a variety of case studies to explore how animals forage for food, avoid predators, attract mates, and ensure the survival of their offspring. By examining how particular behaviors provide an evolutionary advantage, and how multiple strategies can persist within a population, we will gain insight into the diversity of behavioral adaptations. We will do this by both studying the primary scientific literature and designing, conducting, and analyzing our own experiments during the lab portion of the class.
- Instructor of record: Seba De Bona