LECTURE TOPICS AND READING

The following list of readings is subject to change: please check this site frequently as you prepare for each week.

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WEEK 1

Home room  - and Review

Aug 28 INTRODUCTION AND LAB LECTURE ::: Crickets
  for fun: Origin of Species : Instinct chapter
Aug 30 ALCOCK CHAPTER: 4 & 5
  :: Review Intro Bio text on how neurons work and action potentials
:: Review Intro Bio text book on "central dogma" DNA > RNA > Protein
:: Roeder and Treat (1961) "The Detection and Evasion of Bats by Moth" American Scientist. 139-148

WEEK 2

Sept 4

Animal Behavior - 4 areas of inquiry

  A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO ANIMAL BEHAVIOR Chapter 1 - 7 chapter assignment
  :: Students will break into groups to discuss their focal chapter (assigned to them in class Aug 30)
   
Sept 6 Tinbergen, N. (1963). "On aims and methods of Ethology." Zeitschrift fur tierpsychologie 20: 410-433.
  At least one of the following 4 papers ::: DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
  Dewsbury, D. A. (1992). "On the Problems Studied in Ethology, Comparative Psychology, and Animal Behavior." Ethology 92(2): 89-107.
  Alcock, J. and P. Sherman (1994). "The Utility of the Proximate-Ultimate Dichotomy in Ethology." Ethology 96(1): 58-62.
  Thierry, B. (2005). "Integrating proximate and ultimate causation: Just one more go!" Current Science 89(7): 1180-1183.
  Dewsbury, D. A. (1999). "The proximate and the ultimate: past, present, and future." Behavioural Processes 46(3): 189-199.
JOURNAL ARTICLE TITLES :
for 1 page designate which of the 4 questions are represented (also handed out in class)
Sept 7 last day to add

WEEK 3

Sept 11

Behavioral observation & Zoo Biology

Martin and Bateson Chapter 6-9 This includes the techniques you will need for lab
  Swaisgood, R. R. and D. J. Shepherdson (2005). "Scientific approaches to enrichment and stereotypies in zoo animals: What's been done and where should we go next?" Zoo Biology 24(6): 499-518.
  Hosey, G. R. (1997). "Behavioural research in zoos: Academic perspectives." Applied Animal Behaviour Science 51(3-4): 199-207.
  Blumstein, D. and E. Fernandez-Juicic (2010). A Primer of Conservation Behavior, Sinaur. Chapter 1.
   
Sept 13
A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO ANIMAL BEHAVIOR Chapter 8-12 chapter assignment
:: Students will break into groups to discuss their focal chapter (assigned to them in class Aug 30)
 
 

WEEK 4

Sept 19

 

Evening Trip to See the Vaux's Swifts

  link for info. If you want to go on your own there is a map and some questions to answer.

Hayes, B. (2011). "Flights of Fancy." American Scientist 99(1): 10-14. - OUTING REPORT

 

Sept 18

Behavioral Genetics

ALCOCK CHAPTER: 3
Chapter 8 Byers
Anholt, R. and T. Mackay (2010). Principles of Behavioral Genetics, Elsivier.
Sokolowski, M. B. (2001). "Drosophila: Genetics meets behaviour." Nature Reviews Genetics 2(11): 879-890.
Mackay, T. F. C. and R. R. H. Anholt (2007). "Ain't misbehavin? Genotype-environment interactions and the genetics of behavior." Trends in Genetics 23(7): 311-314.

Qunatitative Genetics Chapter (will be covered in lecture)


extra

Greenspan, R. J. (2004). "E pluribus unum, ex uno plurAlcock_Chapter: Quantitative and single-gene perspectives on the study of behavior." Annual Review of Neuroscience 27: 79-105.
extra Benzer (1973) Genetic Dissection of Behavior Scientific American 229; 24-30.

extra

Greenspan (obituary for Benzer)

PRACTICE EXAM QUESTIONS

 
Sept 20

IN CLASS EXAM 30 min

CONTINUE BEHAVIOR GENETICS FROM TUESDAY
   

WEEK 5

Sept 25
& 27

 

The Organization and Control of Behavior

ALCOCK CHAPTER: 4 & 5
  Bass, A. H. (1996). "Shaping brain sexuality." American Scientist 84(4): 352-363. List as many hypotheses as you can, draw out the developmental timeline, refresh your memory on hormones.
  Wingfiled et al (1987) "Testosterone and Aggression in Birds" Scientific American. List the 10 predictions of the challenge hypothesis.
extra O'connell L, & Hofmann H (2010) "Genes, hormones, and circuits: An integrative approach to study the evolution of social behavior" Front. in Neurendocrinology (warning: this is pretty dense)
Oct 1 note: Monday is the last day to drop

WEEK 6

Oct 2 & 4

Biological Timekeeping etc.

Tauber, E. and C. P. Kyriacou (2008). "Genomic approaches for studying biological clocks." Functional Ecology 22(1): 19-29.
  VanderLeest, H. T., T. Houben, et al. (2007). "Seasonal encoding by the circadian pacemaker of the SCN." Current Biology 17(5): 468-473.
  Toh, Y., C. R. Jones, et al. (2001). "An hPer2 Phosphorylation Site Mutation in Familial Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome." Science 291:1040-1043.
Emlen, S. T. (1969). "Bird Migration - Influence of Physiological State Upon Celestial Orientation." Science 165(3894): 716-720.
Moller, A. P. (2001). "Heritability of arrival date in a migratory bird." Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B-Biological Sciences 268(1463): 203-206.
Lohmann, K. J. (1992). "How Sea-Turtles Navigate." Scientific American 266(1): 100-106.
 
OCT 5 Friday Reed Biology Seminar :: David Pfennig- SEMINAR REPORT ASSIGNMENT
review paper (read before seminar)
primary research paper (read if you cannot attend seminar)

WEEK 7 - Communication

Oct 9-11

Communication

ALCOCK CHAPTER 9
  Endler, J. A. and A. L. Basolo (1998). "Sensory ecology, receiver biases and sexual selection." Trends in Ecology & Evolution 13(10): 415-420.
  Tobias, J. A., J. Aben, et al. (2010). "Song Divergence by Sensory Drive in Amazonian Birds." Evolution 64(10): 2820-2839.
  West, P. M. (2005). "The lion's mane." American Scientist 93(3): 226-235.
  Searcy, W. A. and S. Nowicki (2008). "Bird song and the problem of honest communication." American Scientist 96(2): 114-121.
   

WEEK 8

 

FALL BREAK

WEEK 9 - Reproduction Mating & Parental Care

Oct 23

BOOK CLUB - Cancelled but here is a list of good A.B. books

This assignment has been cancelled as announced in lecture on Tues. and Thurs. before break.
   
Oct 25-30

Sexual Selection; Sex- role; Mate choice

  ALCOCK CHAPTER: 10, 11, 12
  Crews, D. (1994). "Animal Sexuality." Scientific American 270(1): 108-114.
  Eens, M. and R. Pinxten (2000). "Sex-role reversal in vertebrates: behavioural and endocrinological accounts." Behavioural Processes 51(1-3): 135-147.
  Andersson, M. and Y. Iwasa (1996). "Sexual selection." Trends in Ecology & Evolution 11(2): A53-A58.
  Andersson, M. and L. W. Simmons (2006). "Sexual selection and mate choice." Trends in Ecology & Evolution 21(6): 296-302.
  Clutton-Brock, T. (2007). "Sexual selection in males and females." Science 318(5858): 1882-1885.

 

   

WEEK 10

Oct 30

Sexual Selection; Sex- role; Mate choice (cont).

 

Nov 1

Sex-role Reversal and Cryptic Choice

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
  Paczolt, K. A. and A. G. Jones (2010). "Post-copulatory sexual selection and sexual conflict in the evolution of male pregnancy." Nature 464(7287): 401-U494.

  Warner, R. R. (1984). "Mating-Behavior and Hermaphroditism in Coral-Reef Fishes." American Scientist 72(2): 128-136.

Nov 2

Friday Reed Biology Seminar :: Gail Patricelli- SEMINAR REPORT
review paper (read if you are going to seminar)
primary research paper (read if you cannot make it to seminar)

WEEK 11

Nov 6

Alternate Reproductive Tactics

  ALCOCK CHAPTER 11
  ALCOCK CHAPTER 12
  Gross, M. R. (1996). "Alternative reproductive strategies and tactics: Diversity within sexes." Trends in Ecology & Evolution 11(2): 92-98.
  Gross, M. R. (2005). "The evolution of parental care." Quarterly Review of Biology 80(1): 37-45.

Nov 8

Feeding Behavior and Optimal Foraging Theory

  ALCOCK CHAPTER 7
  Stephens, D. W. (2008). "Decision ecology: Foraging and the ecology of animal decision making." Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience 8(4): 475-484.
  Catania, K. C. and F. E. Remple (2005). "Asymptotic prey profitability drives star-nosed moles to the foraging speed limit." Nature 433(7025): 519-522.

WEEK 12

Nov 13 Read these two papers DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
  Gould & Lewontin (1979) Spandrels of St. Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: a critique of the adaptionist program PRS 205:581-598.
  Mayr (1983) How to Carry out the Adaptionist Program? Amer Nat 121:324-334.

NOTE: even if you have completed your two required discussion question assignments you are expected to read theses papers and participate. The only part of the assignement that you do not have to do it handing in the typed answers to the discussion questions.
Nov 15

Social Behavior and Game Theories

  ALCOCK CHAPTER 13
  Dawkins, R. (1976). Chapter 12: The Selfish Gene, Oxford University Press.
  Smith, J. M. (1976). "Evolution and Theory of Games." American Scientist 64(1): 41-45.
  Mesterton-Gibbons, M. and E. S. Adams (1998). "Animal contests as evolutionary games." American Scientist 86(4): 334-341.
   

WEEK 13

Nov 20

In Class Exam 30 min.

Complex Social Behavior

  Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). "Mothering style and methylation." Nature Neuroscience 7(8): 791-792.
  Weaver, I. C. G., N. Cervoni, et al. (2004). "Epigenetic programming by maternal behavior." Nature Neuroscience 7(8): 847-854.
  Nair, H. P. and L. J. Young (2006). "Vasopressin and pair-bond formation: Genes to brain to behavior." Physiology 21: 146-152.
Nov 22

Thanksgiving

WEEK 14

Nov 27

Behavioral Syndromes

  Briffa, M. and A. Weiss (2010). "Animal personality." Current Biology 20(21): R912-R914.
  van Oers, K., P. J. Drent, et al. (2004). "Realized heritability and repeatability of risk-taking behaviour in relation to avian personalities." Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B-Biological Sciences 271(1534): 65-73.
  Sih, A., A. Bell, et al. (2004). "Behavioral syndromes: an ecological and evolutionary overview." Trends in Ecology & Evolution 19(7): 372-378.
Nov 29

Parasites

  Sapolsky, R. (2003). "Bugs in the brain." Scientific American 288(3):94-97.
  Beckage, N. E. (1997). "The parasitic wasp's secret weapon." Scientific American 277(5): 82-87.
  Libersat, F. (2003). "Wasp uses venom cocktail to manipulate the behavior of its cockroach prey." Journal of Comparative Physiology a-Neuroethology Sensory Neural and Behavioral Physiology 189(7): 497-508.
 

WEEK 15

Dec 4

Pointers for PRESENTING Posters

 


BE PREPARED TO PRESENT A 30 second, 3 minute summary of the work, or engage in a discussion about the background, methods or scientific impact of the study.

Hoover et al 2011, A gene for an extended phenotype(virus/wasp)
Heijtz et al 2011, Normal gut microbiota modulates brain development and behavior
House et al 2011, Predator cat odors activate sexual arousal pathways in brains of Toxoplasma gondii infected rats.
Vyas et al 2007, Behavioral changes induced by Toxoplasma infection of rodents are highly specific to aversion of cat odors.
Ponton et al 2006, Do distantly related parasites rely on the same proximate factors to alter the behaviour of their hosts?
Lion et al 2012, The evolution of parasite manipulation of host dispersal
Rosenberg et al 2007, Octopamine partially restores walking in hypokinetic cockroaches stung by the parasitoid wasp ampulex compressa.

FINALS WEEK

   
 

NO FINAL