Behavioral Ecology 2012

Barry Sinervo

Copyright 1997-2012

Department of Ecology and

Evolutionary Biology, UCSC

 

Text Box: Relationship between Total Attendance in Lecture (out 3 samples for attendance) and your grade on the midterm. The slope of the relationship is 0.95 or essentially 1 point out 20, so if you were in the category of 3 missed lectures out of 3, you lost on average 3/20 = 15%!! This is the difference between an A- = 85% and a C = 70%. Let me tell you a story. One student was in exactly that category. He came and talked to me in my office. I could tell he was very clever, but he had never thought to apply himself in the way he could. I told him flat out that he could achieve an A- if he just started coming to lecture and doing the study Qs. He did, and he ended up with an A-. Call me old fashioned but YOUR job is to go to school. I tell my son this everyday (he also has a job to play, he is after all just a kid). Would any employer tolerate absence in the workplace? No of course not, just attend lecture and go to Section and do the Study Qs and you will succeed. If you are already doing this, by all means come by my office once a week and go over the study Qs with me in person. That has also been shown to increase grades by 10-15%. So those few students who scored less than your goal, despite trying really hard, please come by my office so I can help you with the material. My office door is always open 10-11 and 1-2 M. After the midterm, I have often hosted a group of 8 students in there, going over all the questions. If it gets really popular we can go out and have mini study sessions on the grass. And by all means go to your TAs office hours. They are two of the smartest TAs I have ever had in this class. MIDTERM ANSWER GUIDE

 

NEXT WEEK: Meet in Section to do the Term paper workshop.

Have your ideas ready to go. Design Experiments!

 

 

Office Hours:

Barry: Mon 10-11, 1-2, EMS A409, email <lizardrps At gmail DOT com>

Cara: Tues 10-12 AM or by appt., EMS D318, email <Cthow AT ucsc DOT edu>

Elizabeth: Tues 12:30 - 1:30 in COH 147. Fri 9:30 - 10:30 location TBD. email: <emchuron AT ucsc DOT edu>

 

Grade is based on Tutorials, Lab Reports, Term Paper, Midterm, Final , Regrades

  

Date

Topic

Readings

(click to download)

Section Activity

Fri 9/28

History and the Method

 

ch.1

 

Mon 10/1

Genes and Behavior

ch.2

The bean selection lab

Read for next weeks section

 

Wed 10/3

Natural and Sexual Selection

ch.3

 

Fri 10/5

Levels of Selection

ch.4

 

Mon 10/8

Speciation Mechanisms

ch.5

Dawkins reading on Genic Selection for Section 10/5-10/9

Wed 10/10

Optimal Foraging

ch.6

 

Fri 10/12

The Ecology of Foraging

ch.7

 

Mon 10/15

Games animals play

ch.8

Game Theory

On xls sheets

Wed 10/17

QUIZ and Lecture

 

 

Fri 10/19

Games animals play

 

 

Mon 10/22

Male Strategies and Male Assessment

ch.9

ANIMAL OBSERVATION In Section

Wed 10/24

Male Strategies and Male Assessment

 

 

Fri 10/26

MIDTERM

 

 

Mon 10/29

Female Strategies and Mate Choice

ch.10

Reading on:

Anthropomorphism

Discuss Term Paper Ideas

Wed 10/31

Female Strategies and Mate Choice

 

 

Fri 10/2

Mating Systems, Parental Investment, Sexual Conflict

ch.11

 

Mon 11/5

Mating Systems, Parental Investment, Sexual Conflict

 

Term Paper Workshop

 

Wed 11/7

Dispersal, Migration, and Orientation

ch.12

 

Fri 11/9

Sensory Systems and Communicaiton

ch.13

 

Mon 11/12

Veterans Day – Holiday

 

Term paper draft due to your TAs by email. No Sections this week.  

Wed 11/14

Predator and Prey

ch.14

 

Fri 11/16

Sex Determination and Differentiation

ch.15

 

Mon 11/19

Development, Genes, Environment and Behavior

ch.16

 

Wed 11/21

Development, Genes, Environment and Behavior

 

 

Fri 11/23

THANKSGIVING BREAK

 

 

Mon 11/26

Learning and Cognition

ch.17

 

Wed 11/28

Macroevolution and Phylogeny

ch.18

 

Fri 11/30

Macroevolution and Phylogeny

 

 

Mon 12/3

Social Evolution

ch.19

 

Wed 12/5

Social / Human Evolution

ch.20

Term paper due by email to TA  

Fri 12/7

Human Evolution

 

 

Wed 12/12

FINAL: Wed 8-11 am

 

 

 

This page last updated 9/27/12