All text and images on this page copyright 2008, Steven K. Goldsmith
Last updated 6 August 2008

The Powerpoints:

Introductory material
Methods and experiments
Behavior genetics
Genetics and Development
Basic Neurobiology
Biological Rhythms
Orientation, Navigation, and Migration
Foraging Behavior
Communication
Sexual Selection
The Evolution of Sex
Mating Systems
Human Mating
Intro to Social Behavior
Social Behavior
NMRs  
Yanomamo
Murder
 
 
 

A Behavioral Genetics web site
Link to The Gage Page

Another set of sample exam questions

Go to Steve Goldsmith's home page.
 

The Cicada Killer wasp with prey.  This species (Sphecius speciosus) is a parasitoid.  The mother wasp locates a cicada by listening for the cicada's call, then stings the host to paralyze it, places it into a burrow, and lays an egg on it. The the egg hatches into a larva which bores into the host and feeds on the internal organs of the host, saving the vital organs for last. After about a year, the larva emerges as an adult wasp, and begins the cycle again. This photograph was taken in July 2002, in Sherman, TX

Animal Behavior

Course content: One of the most surprising and fascinating aspects of biology is that animals behave, which is to say that they respond quickly to environmental stimuli in ways that tend to enhance their survival and reproduction. This ability is so commonplace that we humans (as animals that behave) do not usually consider the incredibly complex biochemical, physiological, neurological, and structural machinery that is necessary to accomplish behavior, nor do we consider the adaptive significance of behavior. One of my goals for this course is to impart an appreciation for and fascination with animal behavior. We will examine the theoretical explanations for, and qualitative and quantitative data that address animal behavior and its evolution. Students of behavior recognize that the abiotic, biotic, and social environments are the selective forces that have shaped the behavior of all animal species. We will practice asking questions about both mechanistic and evolutionary aspects of behavior, and attempt to devise ways to answer our questions with qualitative observations or quantitative data. This course is also a lesson in field biology and natural history, because the field is where many of our important observations are made in animal behavior, and because naturalists are "pre-adapted" to be students of animal behavior.

Sources of information: The textbook for this course is Animal Behavior: Mechanisms, Ecology, and Evolution, by Drickamer, Vessey, and Meikle. This is an up-to-date and reasonably complete treatment of current topics in animal behavior. The lecture sessions are another important source of information; in addition to formal lecture material, much exchange of information comes from informal discussion during class meetings, and much information that is of interest is a result of responses to questions and not from formal lecture material. It behooves you to be good primates and participate in this type of communicative social interaction. Also, information about upcoming lab exercises, and about data analyses and lab reports, will be presented during lecture sessions. The laboratory experiences, described below, are another important source of information.

Examinations: There will be four written exams. The first three are scheduled for Monday, 24 September, Wednesday, 24 October, and Monday, 12 November. The final is partially comprehensive, and is scheduled for Friday, 14  December, at 9:00 - 11:00 am. The exams will be designed to test simultaneously your knowledge of factual information and your understanding of concepts. The exams will consist of short answer essay questions (about a paragraph in length, for instance definitions of terms), and of longer essays (two to four paragraphs in length, for instance applications of behavioral theory to a specific ecological situation, or comparisons of explanatory models). In some cases you will read a paragraph or two that describes behavioral and ecological phenomena, and then answer questions about those phenomena. I also try to give you choices among at least some of the questions, so that you have more flexibility during the exam.

Exam policies: If you have a conflict with a scheduled exam, please see me before the exam is given; I am usually willing to be flexible within reasonable limits. If you must miss an exam for reasons that are beyond your control (illness, injury, family emergency), please contact me before the exam is administered (if possible) to discuss options. Exams missed for no good reason cannot be made up. Exams will begin at 7:30 am and end promptly at 8:50 am. You may bring nothing into the exam room but your clothing and a ballpoint pen to write with – no notebooks, papers, calculators, nor any sort of electronic devices are allowed.

Academic Integrity: I expect you to read, understand, and abide by the Austin College Academic Integrity Policy as published in the student handbook Environment. Many conceptual advances in science are a result of discussion of information and ideas; I encourage such exchange both in class and outside it. Learning about and doing science should be cooperative and not competitive enterprises; you should give credit for ideas or for inspiration where such credit is due. I expect your own work on all examinations, lab reports, and other written work. Various forms of cheating, plagiarism, use of downloaded material from the internet,  and inappropriate “cahooting” on written assignments will not be tolerated, and will result in (at the least) a score of 0 on the assignment in question.

Late work: If you have a conflict with a scheduled exam, please see me before the exam is given; I am usually willing to be flexible within reasonable limits. If you must miss an exam for reasons that are beyond your control (illness, injury, family emergency), please contact me before the exam is administered to discuss options. Late lab reports and project manuscripts will be penalized 10% of the possible points per day late -- this drops the grade one letter grade per day. Work is due in my office by 5:00 pm on the due date.

Attendance policy: I expect you to attend each class meeting, in spite of the fact that they are at 8:00 am. This is for your own benefit; class attendance is an important determinant of overall performance. I reserve the right to drop students from this course for excessive absences (three or more absences for which I do not think you have a reasonable excuse). If you miss class and think you have a reasonable excuse, please tell me what it is. The attendance policy for the laboratory is described below.

Grading summary:
 

Midterm exams (70 points each)	210 points
Final exam	90 points
Independent research project	60 points
Laboratory reports	150 points
Total	510 points

At the end of the course each student will have amassed a proportion of the total points possible. Any adjustments in scores are made at that time; I do not curve individual exams. The proportions will be converted into final letter grades according to the following scheme:
 

The format of the lab reports will be an abbreviated version of the project manuscript (described below), and should concentrate on Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections. One purpose of the lab reports is to give you practice in scientific writing, so I expect clear, concise, and brief reports. Reports will be graded on content and style; the grading criteria are described on the "Lab Report Checklist". The lab reports should typically be no more than four pages (usually three), written in first person and active voice, and should be computer word-processed, double spaced, in 10 or 12 point font, left justified, with margins of approximately 2.5 cm.

There are two main kinds of information that we will generate during our lab exercises. Some of the lab exercises will generate primarily qualitative descriptions of behavior patterns of one or several species, and others will generate quantitative data about specific aspects of the behavior of a particular species or a group of species. The nature of the lab report for these two kinds of labs is somewhat different, and my plan is for everyone to get some practice with both. Most labs will generate observations or data that can be used to write a lab report. Reports are required for some of the labs, and are optional for others, as long as you complete a total of five for the semester. The labs requiring lab reports will be announced after the field or lab exercise, because of the uncertain nature of the outcome of our data collection. The due dates for the lab reports will fall after we have discussed data analysis, and will be announced at least one week in advance. Be sure to record complete data in the field, and information about methods and habitat characteristics, to be used in writing your lab reports.

The format of the lab report is similar to that of the project manuscript:

• Center the title at the top of the first page, followed a couple of lines below by your name, the date, and your campus box number. Do not begin a new page for the Introduction, and do not use a heading for the Introduction. Begin the Introduction a couple of lines below your campus box number. Left-justify everything below your name and address. As is described in the handout on the project manuscript, titles should be assertions (“Common Grackles forage in the shade”) as opposed to descriptions (“Foraging microhabitat preferences of Little Blue Herons”).

• Begin the text of your report with a brief Introduction of two paragraphs. In the first paragraph you should describe the theoretical background of the questions addressed or hypotheses tested (using what you have learned in the course). The second paragraph should contain a concise description of the specific question or questions that the data address. The Introduction should progress logically from generalities to specifics. Include in the Introduction (usually at the end) a concise statement of the purpose of our investigation. It is not necessary (nor even appropriate) to mention the study organisms in the Introduction – your statements should be applicable to almost any animal species.

• The Methods section should describe specifically when, where, and how we collected our data. Most of our lab reports will include brief descriptions of the natural history of the study organism, and a description of habitat characteristics of the study area. I will point out pertinent information while we are in the field, which you should record along with your observations and data.

• You should next present the Results in text; state in words the important results of our investigation. See the “Lab report checklist” for advice on presentation of results. For qualitative information, describe in plain English the important aspects of our observations; what are the postures, movements, vocalizations, visual displays, or other communication behaviors, and social interactions that we observed?  Include line drawings if necessary or desirable. For quantitative data, make clear, concise, and forceful statements of our results, which are based on our statistical analyses of the data. Refer the reader to figures or tables if needed, but do not repeat tabulated data in the text.

• Finally in the Discussion section you should briefly summarize and interpret our findings. Explain our results in light of knowledge about other species; use the comparative method. Do our results make sense from the perspective of the evolution of behavior? What aspects of the abiotic, biotic, and social environments affect the expression and evolution of the behavior we observed? What factors might have biased our results? What new questions are raised by our results?

My plan for our first lab is to develop our skills as observers of animal behavior. This will entail a variety of activities, including such simple things as using binoculars, estimating distances between objects, counting numbers of individuals, and learning about habitat characteristics. We will also practice describing behavioral states, events, and bouts, and learning what to look for while observing behavior. Our second lab will be a more rigorous set of qualitative and some quantitative observations in which we practice using two or three different sampling techniques to generate our observations. Our third lab will be primarily quantitative and will involve manipulation as well as observation. After that we have a series of labs scheduled that examine in some detail a variety of aspects of behavior; what we actually end up doing depends in part on what the local animal species are doing.

It is imperative that each student participate in each laboratory activity. If you must miss a lab for a foreseeable reason (i.e. conflicting school-related activities) please notify me in advance. If you miss a lab for valid reasons that are beyond your control (illness, injury, family emergency), I will make arrangements for you to obtain the information necessary for your lab report. I do not expect any unexcused (e.g. without valid reasons) absences from lab, but if this situation arises, each unexcused absence from lab will result in a penalty equal to the value of one lab report (30 points). Chronically missing lab is a costly behavioral tactic.

Individual research project: Each student will (with help if it is needed) design, execute, and present to the class an individual research project. My expectation for these projects is that you formulate a fairly simple, straightforward question (or set of questions) that can be answered by making qualitative observations or collecting quantitative data. Quantitative data must be analyzed statistically, and conclusions drawn based on the results of this analysis. Your project may be observational or experimental, laboratory or field, or some combination of these methods. You will write a manuscript describing your project in the format used in scientific journals. The manuscripts should be written in first person, active voice, and should be computer word-processed, double spaced, with margins of approximately 2.5 cm, in 10 or 12 point font, plain and not boldface type, left justified except for the title, author’s name and affiliation, and the date, which should be centered.

• The Title Page comes first, and contains a brief yet informative title, centered in boldface type, followed (several lines below) by your name, the date of submission, and your campus box number. The trend in recent years has been to make assertions in the title, rather than descriptions (for example "Alate fire ant queens are virgins" as opposed to "Aspects of the natural history of Trimerotropis saxatilis").

• The Introduction briefly discusses the questions that you address and their significance in the light of behavioral and evolutionary theory (as discussed in readings and in lectures), and in light of recent work. This means that you must cite at least one original research report in your manuscript.  Original research reports are articles in scientific journals (e.g. Science, Animal Behaviour, or Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, NOT Natural History, Psychology Today, or Discover) in which the authors present original data and interpretations that have not been previously published.

• The Methods section discusses the practical aspects of your work; where and when you collected your data, and specifically how you collected data. Most manuscripts need a "Natural History" subheading within the Methods, which succinctly describes pertinent aspects of the biology of your study animal. Some of this information will come from your own observations and some will come from field guides or taxonomic treatments of the animal group. Manuscripts about field projects should include a brief description of the habitat (including abiotic, biotic, and social environmental conditions) in which your observations occurred. For lab projects, include information about your lab set-up, conditions, experimental manipulation and controls, and observational protocols.

• The Results section presents your qualitative observations and descriptions of behavior patterns (with accompanying line drawings if you wish), and your quantitative data (in tabular or graphical form) and statistical analysis. My preference for the format of the Results is that you describe in writing your important results, and refer the reader to figures, tables, or graphs to highlight your text. See the "Lab Report Checklist" for more information about presentation of results, and the handout on "Statistics for Novices" for information on constructing tables and graphs, and on performing, and presenting the results of, statistical analyses.

• The Discussion section is where you interpret your data and statistical analysis, and draw more general conclusions from your work. Do not repeat results or make references to figures or tables. Make reference to evolutionary and behavioral theory that we have discussed in class; do the answers to your questions fit current ideas about the mechanisms or adaptiveness of behavior? Use the comparative method and the concepts of divergent evolution and convergent evolution. A citation of previous original work is appropriate here.

• Any help that you received from faculty or fellow students, access to private or public lands, and any financial assistance in conducting your study should be acknowledged in an Acknowledgments section. Some animal behaviorists use this section as a way to introduce some humor into their scientific writings; for instance, one group of authors stated that the order of authorship of their paper was determined by fisticuffs (who knows, maybe it was!).

• These main text sections will be followed by a References section which contains bibliographic information, in standard scientific format, on the works that you cite in the text. The standard procedure for citations in the text is to cite the last name(s) of the author(s), and date of publication, of the source of the information to which you are referring (e.g. Emlen and Oring, 1977; Darwin, 1871).  For articles with three or more authors, cite in the text the first author's name followed by "et al."; all authors are then listed in the References section. In the References section, full bibliographic information is given, in the format that follows. References should be in alphabetical order within the References section.

• The figures (with captions below) and tables (with headings above) come last.

• Author(s) Last Name(s), Initials, Date of Publication. Title of article. Title of journal, volume: page numbers of article

• e.g. Emlen, S. and L. Oring, 1977. Ecology, sexual selection, and the evolution of mating systems.  Science 197:215-223

• Author(s) Last Name(s), Initials, Date of Publication. Title. Publisher, Place of Publication

• e.g. Darwin, C. 1871. The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex. J. Murray, London.

The most straightforward way of collecting behavioral data for statistical analysis is to make some comparison between two or more categories. As you will see in lab, we might compare the behavior of two different species in similar habitats, the behavior of females with that of males, or the behavior of a single species in two different habitats. The possibilities of comparison can be complex, but for the purposes of this course, a simple comparison is best. Do not try to execute a project that exceeds the time or energy available. The goal of this project is to learn about the process of doing science more than to actually do some serious science.

Although I said above "individual" project, it is possible for you to work in small groups (two or three students) on sets of related questions. For instance, a group might collaborate on an investigation of seed-harvester ants. One student might investigate the relationship between time of day and forager recruitment, another might study the effect of temperature on running velocity, and another might study the effect of load on velocity. Discussion of questions with your colleagues helps to refine and sharpen them. Each student might help the others with design of protocols and data collection, and all could have their data in a short period of time. Analyses of the data might use similar statistical tests. Finally it is very helpful to have colleagues evaluate your statistics and criticize your writing before you submit it to an editor (or to your instructor). I do not view this type of collaboration as plagiarism; in fact, this type of interactive ability is an important skill for scientists to develop. Be sure to acknowledge the assistance of colleagues in your manuscript.

A brief statement of your intended questions and methods, and a brief description of the natural history of your study organism, is due on Monday, 8 October. This should be no more than a page or so in length. The purpose of this proposal is so that I know what you are planning, and so that you receive input from me and from your colleagues early in your project. Data sets are due on Monday, 19 November, so that you can get my input on statistical analyses. Final drafts of your manuscripts are due on Wednesday, 5 December. Late project manuscripts will be accepted but will be penalized by the deduction of 10% of possible points from the grade for each working day that the manuscript is overdue.

Presentation of project report: During our last laboratory meeting (Monday, 3 December), each student will present to the class the results of the research project. These presentations should be no more than 10 minutes in duration, and should consist of a brief statement of your questions, a description of the natural history of your study animal and of your methods, a presentation of your results and statistical analysis, and the conclusions that you have drawn. We will strive to have time for questions after each presentation. Slides or overheads of data and graphs are appropriate for this presentation. I will assist in preparation of these items. Also, slides of your study area or apparatus, and of your study animals, are good visual aids for your audience. I can make photographic equipment and supplies available to those of you who are interested. Be aware that processing of slides takes at least a couple of weeks, so you can't do this at the last minute. In an attempt to enter the 21st century, I can make digital photographic equipment available to you for capturing pertinent images, which can then be used in Powerpoint presentations.

My preference for the way to approach a presentation like this is to tell your audience a story. Don't read us your manuscript -- we can do that ourselves. Tell us what you did and why. What did you find out? Why do you think it is important or worthwhile? What problems did you have? What practical things did you learn (like "don't stand in a fire ant mound while watching birds!")?  Be calm and informal -- tell us your story, and remember that we are all in this together. I will provide a handout ("Presentation Advice") with more information on the presentations as we proceed.

Advice on doing field biology: Most of you probably have relatively little experience in field biology. The labs in this course, in addition to their scientific content, will be an education in how to prepare for and to behave in the field. Weather conditions September in Texas can be fairly unpleasant; you should take plenty of water (at least 1 liter) when we go in the field. Pants rather than shorts will be appropriate attire for most outdoor labs, as will a light-colored shirt (I prefer 100% cotton rather that synthetics, and one with pockets). Sturdy shoes or boots are the best protection for your feet. You may want work gloves for some of the labs. A hat or other headgear is essential, as is sunscreen and sunglasses (with UV protection). A sunburn on your eyeballs is particularly unpleasant. I usually carry a set of personal articles including aspirin, lip balm, allergy medication, and toilet paper. If you have any special needs along these lines, it is usually best to bring it rather than be out in the field without it. I will provide a first-aid kit for minor injuries; broken legs and other major injuries are forbidden!

I also carry a variety of general-purpose field gear. A field notebook, a ballpoint pen (not felt-tip!) and a pencil, scissors, forceps of various sizes, a pocketknife, a tape measure, a handlens, and a compass live in a dedicated field backpack and always go with me in the field. A wristwatch is also an essential item. In addition to these items, I take whatever equipment is necessary for the planned field activity. I will provide the latter items as we come to them. You should plan to take at least a notebook and pen or pencil, hat, water, and sunglasses. It is not absolutely necessary to have a field bag, but it is often useful.

FINAL EXAM:   Thursday 11 Dec, 12:00-2:00
 

Tentative Laboratory Schedule
 

Date	Activity	Location
Mon 8 Sept	Behavior sampling techniques (qualitative lab report/quantitative lab report)	Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge
Mon 15 Sept	Bird behavior and ecology (quantitative lab report)	Hagerman NWR
Mon 22 Sept	Grasshopper locomotion and predator avoidance (quantitative lab report)	Ten-acre Rock, Johnston County, OK
Mon 29 Sept	Pollinator behavior and ecology (quantitative lab report )	Sneed ERA or Southmayd
Mon 6 Oct	Antlion foraging behavior (quantitative lab report )	McCarley Woods Nature Preserve
Mon 13 Oct	Human personal space (quantitative lab report)	AC Campus
Mon 20 Oct	Seed-harvester ant foraging behavior (quantitative lab report)	Sneed Environmental Research Area
Mon 27 Oct	Fire ant reproductive allocation (quantitative lab report)	Sneed ERA
Mon 3 Nov	Foraging behavior of shorebirds  (quantitative lab report)	Hagerman NWR
Mon 10 Nov	Human mate preference  (quantitative lab report)	AC Campus
Mon 17 Nov	Waterfowl visual and vocal displays	Hagerman NWR
Mon 24 Nov	Free day for data analysis and  writing individual project manuscripts
Mon 1 Dec	Individual project presentations	MS 301

Stenaspis verticalis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), a large and colorful long-horned beetle of the Sonoran Desert of Arizona.  The female (on the right) is feeding at a site defended by the male (on the left) who is copulating with the female.  This type of mating system is called resource defense polygyny.