209504 Mastermodul Animal Behaviour (V+Pr) (SoSe 2008)

The aim of this course is to become familiar with concepts and methods used to study animal behavior. Basic principles in animal behavior will be presented and exemplified by research projects on small mammals and birds. Focus on practical projects will be on competitive intra- and inter-specific interactions and parent-offspring interactions. Experiments will be conducted in lab and in the field. Students will work in groups of 2 persons. Lectures will concentrate on an overview of animals behavior and principles of experimental design and statistical evaluation of experiments. The seminars will be given by the participants and be based on modern original papers relevant to the individual projects.
Requirements: active participation, regular attendance, written report on own project, oral presentation of original papers. The course will be taught in English.