This unit covers the broad area of behavioural ecology?how an animal's behaviour is adapted to its physical and social environment. The unit comprises five broad sections: (1) foundations of behavioural ecology; (2) perception and signalling; (3) predator-prey interactions; (4) kin selection and social behaviour; and (5) sexual selection. The unit integrates these themes within an evolutionary framework that explores individual plasticity and the genetic basis of behaviour, along with a strong mechanistic basis of how perceptual systems work (e.g. vision and acoustic communication, as these set limits to behavioural capacity). Lectures are complemented by a practical component to develop... -- Course Website
Prerequisites: any Level 2 ANIM unit
