Who’s who Lars Chittka University of London, Behavioral ecology Queen Mary College http://www.biology.qmul.ac.uk/research/staff /chittka/chittka.htm Studies bees – mostly Bombus terrestris , a Approaches to studying bumble bee Interesting results : found social learning in bees; found that behavior flower colors evolved to match bee vision, not vice versa; found that there is variation in learning and color preference traits within and across populations References : Advances in the Study of Behavior 36: 305-354 Current Biology 15: R869-R871 Some more admin Your presentations Think about the audience! • Talk dates / topics • Lecture is 1 hour 15 min: plan talk for • Who’s who: dates and whos 35 min (let me know as soon as you know who you want to • Pick a topic that you are interested in talk about – first come first serve, and no doubles!) • Give general background as well as example studies • Make slides • Have discussion questions at the end Your presentations Your presentations Think about the audience! Think about the audience! • Use large font or noone will know what you are talking about • Use large font or noone will know what you are talking about 32 28 24 20 18 16 14 12 10 32 28 24 20 18 16 14 12 10 • Keep it brief on the slide – and no distractions! 1 Your presentations Suggestions for whos • Stephen J Gould • John Krebs Think about the audience! • William (Bill) Hamilton • Peter Berthold • Edward O Wilson • Mark Hauser • Use large font or noone will know what you are talking about • Charles Darwin • Tim Clutton-Brock 32 28 24 20 18 16 14 12 10 • Robert Axelrod • Richard Dawkins • Keep it brief on the slide – and no • Ernst Fehr • Lynn Margulis distractions! • Mark Pagel • Peter Hammerstein • Use other talks you hear as inspiration • Paul Harvey • Alex Kacelnik • Think about the audience in your • Robert Trivers • Geoff Parker content: give sufficient explanations (no • David Stephens • John Maynard Smith acronyms!) and make your topic • Alasdair Houston interesting! The study of behavior The study of behavior Different subfields of Different subfields of 'behavior' today 'behavior' today • Comparative psychology • Comparative psychology • Ethology • Ethology • Behaviorism • Behaviorism • Evolutionary psychology • Evolutionary psychology • Behavioral ecology • Behavioral ecology • Neurobiology • Neurobiology Attention: my subjective impressions… The study of behavior The study of behavior Different subfields of Different subfields of 'behavior' today 'behavior' today • Comparative psychology • Comparative psychology • EthologyModel organisms; lab settings; • EthologyModel organisms; lab settings; • Behaviorismlearning, cognition; analogies to • Behaviorismlearning, cognition; analogies to • Evolutionaryhumans/each psychology other • Evolutionaryhumans/each psychology other • Behavioral ecology • Behavioral‘Blank ecologyslate’-ism; artificial situations • Neurobiology • Neurobiology 2 The study of behavior The study of behavior Different subfields of Different subfields of 'behavior' today 'behavior' today • Comparative psychology • Comparative psychology • Ethology • Ethology • Behaviorism • Behaviorism Proximate mechanisms of behavior, Proximate mechanisms of behavior, • Evolutionaryoften incl. psychology physiology; both field and • Evolutionaryoften incl. psychology physiology; both field and • Behaviorallab situations ecology • Behaviorallab situations ecology • Neurobiology Ecol.• Neurobiology context, constraints poorly understood; and fixed action patterns not enough! The study of behavior The study of behavior Different subfields of Different subfields of 'behavior' today 'behavior' today • Comparative psychology • ComparativeUltimate causes psychology of human behavior, • Ethology • Ethologyand how they have shaped proximate mechanisms. • Behaviorism pretty much dead • Behaviorism • Evolutionary psychology • Evolutionary psychology • Behavioral ecology • Behavioral ecology • Neurobiology • Neurobiology The study of behavior The study of behavior Different subfields of Different subfields of 'behavior' today 'behavior' today Ultimate reasons for behavior: field studies • ComparativeUltimate causes psychology of human behavior, • Comparative psychology on many species; foraging, mating, • Ethologyand how they have shaped proximate • Ethology mechanisms. competition, parasites • Behaviorism • Behaviorism • Evolutionary psychology • Evolutionary psychology • BehavioralPopular butecology seems radical to many – • Behavioral ecology • Neurobiologyresult: many poorly conducted • Neurobiology studies, correlational 3 The study of behavior The study of behavior Different subfields of Different subfields of 'behavior' today 'behavior' today Ultimate reasons for behavior: field studies • Comparative psychology •Neural Comparative mechanisms; psychology model species; on many species; foraging, mating, lab studies competition,• Ethology parasites • Ethology • Behaviorism Adaptationism; ignore • Behaviorism • Evolutionary psychologyproximate • Evolutionary psychology • Behavioral ecology mechanisms and • Behavioral ecology constraints; sexual • Neurobiology • Neurobiology selection in birds, over and over The study of behavior The study of behavior Different subfields of Integrating subfields… 'behavior' today • Proximate mechanisms of behavior: - neurobiology, physiology •Neural Comparative mechanisms; psychology model species; - constraints: of design, evolutionary, developmental •lab Ethology studies - parallels (convergent or homolog) between species We don’t understand • Behaviorism • Ultimate causes of behavior: much; extremely • Evolutionary psychology - ecological context; actual measurement of fitness simple behaviors; • Behavioral ecology - comparative studies, niches extremely few species • Neurobiology (3) • Variation between individuals and its causes - role of learning, flexibility, ‘higher cognition’ 4.