Difference between revisions of "Field Animal Behavior"

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<span style="font-size: x-large">EEB 3898: Field Animal Behavior
 
<span style="font-size: x-large">EEB 3898: Field Animal Behavior
  
'''May Term, May 13th - 31st, 2013''' '''    MTWThF 1-4pm       Torrey Life Sciences, Rm 181'''
+
'''May Term, May 12th - 30th, 2014''' '''    MTWThF 9am-12pm       Torrey Life Sciences, Rm 313'''
  
 
Instructor: '''[mailto:kristiina.hurme@uconn.edu Dr. Kristiina Hurme]'''
 
Instructor: '''[mailto:kristiina.hurme@uconn.edu Dr. Kristiina Hurme]'''

Revision as of 15:38, 13 March 2014

FieldBehavior.jpg

EEB 3898: Field Animal Behavior

May Term, May 12th - 30th, 2014 MTWThF 9am-12pm Torrey Life Sciences, Rm 313

Instructor: Dr. Kristiina Hurme

Office: TLS 379

Phone: 860-486-5434

Office hours: variable & flexible (call, email, drop by)


Course Objectives

➢ Learn how to observe animal behavior

➢ Notice animal behavior in our daily lives

➢ Learn how to take field notes

➢ Learn and apply basic field techniques, study design, and data analysis

➢ Develop a research project

➢ Improve collaboration skills


Course Materials

Binos.jpg

• Required

o Binoculars (available from us if you don’t have any)

o Field notepad/notebook

o Watch with countdown timer that beeps

o Closed-toe shoes (no sandals) or hiking boots, & proper outdoor clothing (poison ivy, weather)

• Recommended

o Field Guides (birds, mammals, insects, etc.) for New England or Eastern US

o Camera

o Insect repellent (ticks, mosquitoes)

o Sunscreen, sunglasses, hat


Tentative* schedule

Day Topic Day Topic Day Topic
M 13 Course introduction and timeline; What is behavior? M 20 Bicentennial Pond; Field notebooks (First Submission) M 27 MEMORIAL DAY - NO CLASS; make observations on your own!
T 14 Observational methods; cricket mating; Cemetery and W lot pond T 21 Individual project presentations; Paper submission (Introduction and Methods); exam review T 28 Leave at noon- Coastal fiddler crabs / Field notebooks (Final Submission)
W 15 Field research techniques, hypotheses testing, study design, and data analysis; local observations W 22 MIDTERM EXAM; field observations after W 29 Project presentations and assisted work on the paper
Th 16 Leave at 10am - Trip to Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, CT; Ethograms Th 23 Individual project data collection I (Methods adjustment) Th 30 Review session in preparation for the final; PAPER SUBMISSION (FINAL)
F 17 Project guidelines discussion and selection (written ideas); Fenton River F 24 Individual project data collection II F 31 FINAL EXAM; Instructor evaluations

*: Schedule is subject to change pending weather conditions, or unforeseen observation and research opportunities.


Grading

Exams: May 22nd (MIDTERM) [50 points]; May 31st (FINAL) [50 points]


Project Paper: May 21st (Intro and Methods) [30 points]; May 30th (Final) [50 points]


Project Presentations: May 21st (Intro and Methods) [20 points]; May 29th (Final) [25 points]


Field Notebook Submissions: May 20th (First) [20 points]; May 28th (Final) [25 points]


iNaturalist submissions: 2+ observations/day = 30 obs. [15 points];


5 min observations: 10 x 2 points [20 points]


Ethograms: 3 x 5 points [15 points]


Field trips = Behavioral observations (5 points each): Dates will be weather dependent [30 points]


Total: [350 points]


Grading scale: A = 100-90%, B = 89-80%, C = 79-70%, D = 69-60%, F = 59-0%. Plus/minus system will be used for the final grade.


Additional References & Websites

• Alcock, J (2001). Animal Behavior - An Evolutionary Approach (7th ed.). Sinauer Associates Inc. Publishers.

• Krebs, J. R. and N. B. Davies (1993). An Introduction to Behavioral Ecology (3rd ed.). Blackwell Scientific Publications.

• Martin, J. and P. Bateson (1993). Measuring Behaviour (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

iNaturalist

• Eastern Forests: A field guide to birds, mammals, trees, flowers, and more. Peterson Field Guides.

Peregrine Falcon webcam

Osprey webcam


Website design by Diego Sustaita; Modified by Kristiina Hurme