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Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal

BIO 422: Behavioral Biology (4)

Learning Objectives:

This course is aimed at introducing the field of behavioral biology, both in animals and plants. It will involve discussions on interactions between behavior and biology and the hormonal, physiological, neurochemical and genetic effects on the behavior of an organism. The ecology and evolution of behavior will be discussed through lectures, paper discussions, and projects.

Course Contents:

Behavioral biology course: The importance of studying behavior. Historical perspective Tinbergen's four questions for studying behavior, observing, describing, and analysing behavior, neural mechanisms underlying behavior, development of behavior, evolution of behavior. Important behaviors such as foraging, mate search, predator avoidance, general communication. Innate and learned behavior. Learning and memory, decision making. Social behaviors such as leks, migration, altruism, reciprocity, kin selection, and eusociality. Behavior in plants. Experimental design in behavioral biology.

Suggested Books:

• Alcock J. 2013. Animal Behavior: an evolutionary approach. 10^th Ed. Sinauer publications, USA
• Zupanc, G. K. 2010. Behavioral Neurobiology: an integrative approach. 2^nd Ed. Oxford Univ. Press
• Davies, NB, Krebs JR and SA West. 2012. An introduction to behavioral ecology. 4^th Ed. Wiley Blackwell.

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