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(BIOL 300) Animal Behavior

The study of behavior from an evolutionary perspective. Emphasis on social patterns of behavior including: altruism, optimality, reproduction, parental investment, aggression, and spatial relationships.

Credit Hours 3.0 Lecture
Prerequisites BIOL 113, CHEM 101/L or CHEM 106 and CHEM 107L
Corequisite BIOL 300L
Offered Fall
Programs Biology (BS), Biology Education (BS)

Course Learning Outcomes

  1. Understand the history of the field of animal behavior, and how this influenced current research approaches.
  2. Understand how natural selection can cause evolutionary change in behavior.
  3. Describe how genetics can influence behavior.
  4. Differentiate between the various forms and functions of animal communication.
  5. Describe how and why animals learn.
  6. Understand the major functions of different animal behaviors, and how they evolved (e.g., foraging behavior, antipredator behavior, migration, aggression, etc.).
  7. Differentiate between various mating and parental care systems and understand their costs and benefits.
  8. Describe the evolution of social behavior, and evolutionary explanations for altruistic behavior.