Animal Social Behavior

E. O. Wilson has said that “the organism is simply DNA’s way of making more DNA.” Are the elaborate, bizarre, (at times flamboyant), energy requiring social systems of animals simply adaptations which permit those animals to reproduce? Why is there so much diversity among animal social systems? Why are most mammals polygynous and most birds monogamous? Can we make predictions about successful social strategies and test them in the field? Can we gain insight into human evolution by studying the social systems of non-human primates?

In this course we will consider the evolution and adaptedness of different social systems with particular attention to current models of the evolution of altruistic behavior. We will read and discuss current research from a variety of journals (topics include: cooperative breeding, parent-offspring conflict, siblicide, mate choice and sexual selection, sex ratios, hymenoptera social organization, evolution of primate mating systems, the significance of infanticide and maternal rank). Students will undertake their own research projects.

Spring 2013
Tues & Fri
8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Betsy Sherman
Dickinson 106
Office hours sign-up posted outside office each week

This website is updated frequently. (So be sure to check it often!)

Be sure to review evolutionary theory and speciation, natural selection, genetic drift, founder effect, isolating mechanisms, etc.

Resources:

Assignments Due:

This term: Questions for consideration in Animal Social Behaviour

  • Evolution of Social Behavior
    • What is the unit of selection described by Wynne-Edwards and Hamilton?
    • What is altruism? 
  • Testable predictions derived from theory
    • Cooperative Breeding (Evolution of Helping Behavior)
      • Do helpers exist?
      • Do helpers enhance breeding success of breeders?
      • Do helpers help relatives?
      • How is inclusive fitness of helpers affected? (Indirect? Direct?)
    • Eusociality
      • Kin selection vs. Group selection
    • Parent-Offspring Conflict
      • Under what conditions do the fitness interests of parents and offspring conflict?
      • Infanticide: Adaptive or Pathologic?
    • Sex ratio adjustments
      • Predictions for high vs. low ranking females (Trivers-Willard vs. Local Resource Competition)
    • Mating strategies
      • Intra and Intersexual tensions

Contrasting models for the evolution of social organization:

  • Fitness of the group vs. Fitness of the gene
  • Models by Wynne-Edwards, Hamilton, Trivers

Tests of hypotheses:

Systems to be examined:

Journals for Animal Social Behavior

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Behavioral Ecology
Animal Behaviour
Evolution
Ecology
Oecologia
Functional Ecology

Birds: Auk, Condor, Wilson Bulletin
Herps and fish: Copeia
Herps: Herpetologica, Journal of Herpetology
Mammals: Journal of Mammalogy

Animals to Study

Frogs
Toads
Salamanders
Tadpoles

Birds
Ducks
Crickets
Chipmunks
Squirrels
Ants

Bees
Spiders
Crayfish
Fish
Fruit flies

Papers for Research Ideas

Course Requirements

All requirements must be met in order to pass this class: See how to read and facilitate (download this!)

  • Attend all classes, be on time, and be well-prepared. Take written notes on paper.
  • Walk and observe
  • Read
    • Assignments
    • Browse current journals
  • In-class discussion (Facilitate, participate and choose papers)
  • Research Project: Late assignments are not accepted.

By midterm:

Things to consider during proposal presentation:

  • Be confident about the quality of your question (Don't apologize). Specify the question.
  • Make eye contact (Don't read from your notes)
  • Use visual aids (Draw on the board)
  • Make sure your throat is clear (No phlegm)
  • Avoid saying "like"
  • Avoid having your voice go up at the end of a sentence (Unless it's a question)

Research Proposal with literature cited
Rubric for research proposal

 Final work: