Duration
20h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The lectures aim to provide a functional explanation of how animals react in a variety of environmental situations. The course will explain how behaviors contribute to the survival and reproductive success of individuals, and how these behaviors may have been selected. The notions of optimality and maximization are thus central to the course, as is the influence of the environment.
Chapter 1 - Introduction, including modes of selection
Chapter 2 - Exploitation of the environment: choice of feeding sites, food items and breeding habitat.
Chapter 3 - Sexual selection: sexual dimorphism, mate choice, intra-sexual competition, sex roles, public information
Chapter 4 - Mating systems: polygyny, polyandry, monogamy
Chapter 5 - Alternative reproductive behaviors
Chapter 6 - Interactions: parental care, group living, cooperation and altruism
Chapter 7 - Personality traits and behavioral syndromes
Chapter 8 - Dispersal ecology, including dispersal syndromes
Chapter 9 - Behavioral aspects of global change and conservation
Chapter 10 - Documentary
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
The aim of the course is to explain the relationships between behavior, ecology and evolution from the point of view of optimality and selection. The various theories proposed in behavioral ecology to account for the diversity of behavioral patterns are outlined, and illustrated with empirical examples taken from different zoological groups, from insects and arachnids to mammals, teleost fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds. A variety of conceptual and empirical graphs provide a quantitative and visual representation of the various concepts.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
It is useful to have bases in ecology and ethology.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course is based on the material provided on ecampus (copies of powerpoint slides), which combines theoretical concepts with empirical examples. The oral presentations give a fuller explanation of the content of the slides and in particular of the various graphs included. It's therefore essential to attend each class to fully understand the material.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
The lectures are given at the beginning of October in the first quadrimester.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
The Power point projections are available in pdf format on ecampus for registered students. The files can be updated during the year. The content of the slides is explained in greater depth during the course. Book recommendations are also provided on ecampus (without obligation). Citations relating to each graph seen in the course are summarized in the Power points. Students interested in learning more about these studies can find the original references via the intranet using search engines such as Google Scholar (no obligation). Laboratory publications cited in the course are available on ORBi (without obligation). Information on the laboratory is available on the website: https://www.leca.uliege.be
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( open-ended questions )
Further information:
The evalulation will be based on a single written exam for the entire course (closed-book exam). The exam will bring together questions from different chapters of the course, covering part of the material covered by each professor. The material covered by each professor will count for half the points. A thorough response to the open-ended questions is expected. At least one graph or table must be rendered and/or explained in detail, and linked to one or more theoretical concepts. A course presentation is an asset for answering the questions. The division of points will depend on the questions presented (open questions / graphs count more towards the average). Details of the exam (pdf file) are available on ecampus.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The lectures start in early October. Additional details can be communicated by e-mail or in e-campus to the registered students
Contacts
Prof. Mathieu Denoël (coordinator) & Dr. Laurane Winandy
Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation of Amphibians
University of Liege
https://www.leca.uliege.be