Schedule for Animal Behavior Lab, Spring 2012
Ken Clifton; 768-7508; clifton@lclark.edu; (Office Hrs: Tue & Th, 10 - 11 AM or by appt.)
 
 

Laboratory exercises for Bio 352 are intended to develop skills and techniques associated with the observation and quantification of animal behavior. Please arrive promptly and be prepared for outdoor activity (dress appropriately). You are expected to have read relevant lab information for a particular week (see links below) prior to coming to lab. When in the field, you will be expected to keep a field note book that includes a list of the animals you observe, as well as relevant behaviors. Be sure to note the location, date, weather, etc. When assigned, "reflections" are due within 24 hours of the end of lab.
Week
Date
Topic

vertlish

OK... the competition is over and, amazingly, things ended in a tie. Tuesday's lab ended up seeing slightly fewer birds and mammals, but their sightings of more amphibians and reptiles caught them back up. Impressively, the totals for this year blow away all other years in Animal Behavior. Overall: 72 spp of birds, 7 spp of mammals, 1 reptile, 2 amphibians, and a fish, for a grand total of 83 species of vertebrate encountered during the semester.  Congratualations!
1
Jan. 17 - 19

Lab 1 assignment.... collecting behavioral data on wild animals.

2
Jan. 24 - 26

Lab 2: Learning about learning: Quantifying behavior, data entry, and remembering some statistics (reflection due afterwards)

Write up of Lab 1 due at the beginning of lab.

3
Jan 31 - Feb 2

Lab 3: Animal communication.... a walk through the auditory/visual/olfatory environments of Tryon Creek (reflection due afterwards)

4
Feb 7 - 9

Lab 4: The ethogram: quantifying behaviors by Betta spendens,

5
Feb. 14 - 16

Lab 5: Investigating the releaser of display behavior in Betta spendens

6
Feb. 21 - 23

Lab 5 continued. Work on Betta data: analysis, interpretation, and presentation

7

Feb. 28 - Mar. 1

Lab 6: Quantifying patterns of animal distribution and abundance: Brown's Ferry Park.

Write-up of Lab 5 due this week.

 

 

  
8
Mar. 6 - 8

Lab 7: Examining the relationship between behavior and dispersion at Brown's Ferry park

9
Mar. 13 - 15

Lab 7 continued: data analysis and interpretation of dispersion and behavior data

10

Mar. 20 - 22

Lab 8: Exploring asymmetries in contests: The Nerdapod Game! (reflection due afterwards)

Write-up of Lab 7 due this week

11
Mar 27 - 29

No lab meetings: SPRING BREAK

12
Apr. 3 - 5

Lab 9 : Meeting with professor Clifton to discuss your proposal

13
Apr. 10 - 12

Lab 10: Class field trip to Oaks Bottom (reflection due afterwards)
     
14
Apr. 17 - 19
 Lab 11: Class field trip: Tualatin Wildlife Refuge
     
15
Apr. 24 - 26
 Lab 12: Field observations of wild animals. Turn in observations, along with field note book, by 5/1 at 6 PM (before the final)

Note: This schedule is tentative and the order of labs may change during the semester, depending on weather, etc.

Check this page regularly throughout the semester.

Last updated 4/19/12

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