Animal Behavior Course

Part of weekly lecture series which started 13th of April, every Wednesday at 11:45-13:15 in R 611

  • Date: Jun 8, 2022
  • Speaker: Iain Couzin, Alex Jordan, Michael Griesser
  • Location: Lecture
  • Host: Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
  • Contact: kanderson@ab.mpg.de
This course will explore the fundamental principles that underline the evolution and mechanism of animal behavior. Animal behavior naturally crosses scales and disciplinary boundaries. This course will integrate our understanding of behavior with information from neuroscience, evolution, physiology, genetics, and the biology of complex systems.

The ability to move can provide distinct advantages for organisms if they can find the most suitable environment to live in. However, to do so, individuals must have the ability for locomotion and the ability to make decisions about where to move. How animals do this is the key focus of research in Animal Behaviour. The study of animal behaviour is therefore highly integrative and has a strong focus on the evolutionary basis of how animals respond to selective pressure arising from their environment. The lectures will first introduce behaviour and explain the mechanisms that generate behaviour. They will then cover a range of topics to provide a broad understanding of how and why animals behave, including: social and collective animal behaviour, predator-prey and co-evolutionary dynamics, group living and social learning, natural and sexual selection, signaling and communication, innovation and problem-solving.

Recommended for: MSc Biology

ECTS Credits: 3


Go to Editor View