Textbook: Selected readings from the many editions of Krebs and Davies, Behavioural Ecology, and selected readings from the primary literature.

Description: The students will be introduced to a toolkit of simple analytical models that address a wide range of phenomena in behavioral and evolutionary ecology, including unifying behavioral and evolutionary ecology through life history modeling, the marginal value theorem, the hawk-dove game, the ideal free distribution, and sexual selection. These include short handouts, and hands on experience with computer simulations. 

We will also cover the theory and empirical evidence for several classic phenomena in the field of behavioral and evolutionary ecology, including feeding, predator avoidance, mating and parental care, all from a life history point of view. In addition, we will cover cooperation and altruism from a game theoretical point of view.

Take Home Problem Sets: A problem set consists of one to three "essay questions." These problem sets are open book, open notes, and you are free to work together. The write-ups should be individual, however.  Problem sets will cover material presented in class &/or in assigned readings.

Projects: Each student will select a topic in consultation with the instructor, for more in-depth investigation. Ideally, a project's topic will be of particular interest to the student choosing it, and would strengthen her/his individual research program toward a dissertation. A topic should be broadly on the phenomenon of behavioral and evolutionary ecology, within the context of the concepts covered in this course. The student will submit her/his project as a web based essay, complete with links (if available) to references to the primary literature, and links (if available) to the websites of the experts who are cited. In addition, each student will present her/his project to the class in a presentation lasting approximately one half hour sometime during the last four weeks of the semester (date to be determined by lottery). Examples of such essays are in the website for last year's BIO 607. 

Grading: Grading is based on class participation (30%), take-home problem sets (30%), and the student project (40%).