Qualification description:
To promote an understanding of the basic theories and concepts that behavioural ecology, socio-biology and ethology have developed to explain the evolution of animal behaviour. The participants are further expected to be able to solve a simple behavioural problem through own observations and experiments.
Course objective:
Lectures and seminars will introduce the following topics theoretically based on the textbook and original articles: influence of genetic and environmental factors on the evolution and development of behaviour; the organisation of behaviour; communication, reproductive behaviour including sexual selection; foraging; territoriality; fighting; altruism, cooperation and sociality etc. The participants shall each present a seminar based on an original article and write an essay on a theoretical topic. In the second half of the course the students complete a practical project of own choice. Read more here.
Qualification description:
The course addresses students in their 3rd or 4 th year which aim to improve their skills in design and analysis of field experiments in behavioral ecology. The course is well suited as a preparatory for master research.
Course objective:
Prior to the field part students prepare 1-2 scientific papers on a given subject. In the first day a project description including hypotheses, experimental protocol and methods is formulated. In the following 5-6da ys data are collected in the field and perhaps supplementary experiments are conducted in the lab. Usually projects are done on invertebrates. Concurrently, a scientific paper is prepared including statistical analysis of the data. A short presentation of the project is given in a symposium held on the final day. Read more here.
