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Official Course
Description: MCCCD Approval: 03/28/95 |
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BIO080AX
1995 Fall – 2012 Fall |
LEC |
3 Credit(s) |
3 Period(s) |
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Basic
Concepts of Animal Behavior |
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Corresponds
to BIO280 Animal Behavior. Enrollment is recommended if student performance
inadequate in BIO280. Prerequisites: None. |
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Go to Competencies Go to Outline
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MCCCD
Official Course Competencies: |
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BIO080AX 1995
Fall – 2012 Fall |
Basic Concepts of Animal Behavior |
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1.
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Describe Darwinian logic as it relates to animal behavior.
(I) |
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2.
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Distinguish between "How" and "Why" quesitons regarding animal behavior. (I) |
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3.
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Formulate and test hypotheses relating to quesitons about animal behavior. (I) |
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4.
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Distinguish between proximate and ultimate explanations in
animal behavior. (I) |
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5.
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Define and distinguish between instinctive an dlearned behaviors and describe
the advantages of each. (II) |
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6.
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Identify common misconceptions about instinct and
learning. (II) |
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7.
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Describe the relationship between genetics and the
evolution of behavior in human and non human
animals. (III) |
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8.
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Describe the development of sexual differences in behavior
among animals. (IV) |
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9.
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Define developmental homestasis
and explain its adaptive value in the social behavior of human and non human animals. (IV) |
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10.
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Describe the organization of animal behavior including the
roles of the nervous system, the endocrine system and behavioral cycles and
rhythms. (V) |
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11.
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Explain how the study of fossils and comparison of the
behaviors of living animal species are used to track the history of behavior.
(VI) |
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12.
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Describe the adaptationist
approach to behavior al ecology. (VII) |
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13.
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Describe methods for testing ultimate hypotheses in
behavioral biology. (VII) |
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14.
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Explain habitat selection and compare and contrast
hypotheses explaining why animals may leave one home site for another. (VIII)
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15.
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Identify and describe the costs and benefits of migration
and territoriality and perform a cost/benefits analysis on one or more
selected species. (VIII) |
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16.
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Outline and describe the ecology of feeding behavior
including active and ambush predation, competition, and the costs and
benefits of social carnivory. (IX) |
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17.
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Outline and describe Optimality theory and cite examples
from nature which support and which fail to support this theory. (IX) |
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18.
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Describ
ethe evolution of anti-redator
behavior in social species. (X) |
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19.
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Outline and describe the evolutionary development of
sexual reproduction. (XI) |
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20.
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Describe parental investment and indicate hypotheses as to
why female rather than male animals are more likely to provide parental care
for the young. (XI) |
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21.
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Identify and describe male and female reporductive
tactics and explain why they are often different. (XII) |
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22.
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Identify and describe common mating systems and indicate
hypotheses to explain the different rates of occurrence for each type of
system. (XIII) |
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23.
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Identify and explain the costs and benefits of sociality.
(XIV) |
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24.
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Identify and describe the types ofhelpful behavior and trace the evolution of these
behaviors. (XIV) |
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25.
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Outline the major premises of soicobiology
and review the major controversies and misconceptions related to this
perspective. (XV) |
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26.
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Explain human territoral,
sexual, an dparental
behaviors from a sociobiological perspective. (XV) |
Go to Description Go to top of
Competencies
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MCCCD
Official Course Outline: |
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BIO080AX 1995
Fall – 2012 Fall |
Basic Concepts of Animal Behavior |
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I. Evolution and Animal
Behavior A. Darwinian logic and
animal behavior B. How and why questions
about animal behavior C. Hypothesis testing and
animal behavior D. Proximate and ultimate
explanations II. Diversity of Animal
Behavior A. Instinctive vs. learned 1. Misconceptions about
instinct and learning 2. Advantages of instincts 3. Advantages of learning B. Evolutionary basis of
instincts and learned behaviors III. Behavioral
Genetics/Human and Non Human Animals A. Genes and behavior 1. Alleles 2. Single gene effects 3. Pleiotrophy
4. Polygeny
5. Artificial selection B. Genetics and the
evolution of behavior IV. Development of Behavior
A. Sexual differences B. Developmental resilience
1. Reliability 2. Developmental
homeostasis V. Organization of Behavior
A. Nervous system B. Endocrine system C. Timing of behavior 1. Circadian rhythms 2. Lunar cycles 3. Circannual
rhythms VI. Tracking the History of
Behavior A. Study of fossils B. Comparison of living
species C. Lessons of history VII. Adaptation A. Behavioral ecology B. Testing ultimate
hypotheses VIII. Ecology of Finding a
Place to Live A. Habitat selection B. Leaving one home site
for another 1. Competition hypothesis 2. Inbreeding avoidance
hypothesis C. Migration 1. Costs 2. Benefits D. Territoriality 1. Costs 2. Benefits IX. Ecology of Feeding
Behavior A. Predator strategies 1. Active predation 2. Ambush predation B. Social carnivory 1. Costs 2. Benefits C. Competition and animal
diets D. Optimality theory and
foraging behavior X. Ecology of Anti-Predator
Behavior A. Prey strategies B. Social defenses XI. Ecology of Sexual
Reproduction and Parental Care A. Why sexual reproduction B. Parental investment and
reproductive strategies 1. Females 2. Males C. How to maximize the
parental payoff XII. Ecology of Male and
Female Reproductive Tactics A. Sexual selection B. Male tactics C. Female tactics XIII. Ecology of Mating
Systems A. Polygyny 1. Varieties 2. Prevalence B. Monogamy 1. Varieties 2. Rarity C. Polyandry 1. Varieties 2. Rarity XIV. Ecology of Social
Behavior A. Costs and benefits of
sociality B. Evolution of helpful
behavior 1. Reciprocity 2. Altruism 3. Kin selection XV. Evolutionary Approach
to Human Behavior: The Sociobiology Controversy A. Human territorial
behavior B. Human sexual behavior C. Human parental care |