Animal Behavior

Instructor: Steven Goldsmith
Moody Science 114 or 320A; ext. 2342 or 2204; box 61611; sgoldsmith@austincollege.edu
Office Hours: M 9:00-10:00am and Th 1:30pm - 3:00pm

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.

There is no textbook for this course. Instead, I will put copies of two or three textbooks on reserve in Abell library. I will assign readings from the primary or secondary scientific literature, from popular literature (magazines, newspapers), and from sources of your own choosing (mostly electronic). I will ask you to come to class prepared to report to the class on what you have learned from your readings. Thus our class sessions are a crucial source of information. In addition to formal lecture material, much exchange of information will come from informal discussion of specific topics during class meetings, and from discussion of readings, videos, current events, and laboratory experiences. 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 discussed during lecture sessions.

Links to various salient features of the course:

All text and images on this page copyright 2009, Steven Goldsmith
Last updated 29 October 2009

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.