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| University of Cambridge > Department of Zoology > Undergraduate teaching > Part IB Animal Biology |
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Download the 2007/87 booklet (PDF) Course overview |
Part IB Animal BiologyModule informationMichaelmas Term Lent Term Easter Term Michaelmas TermBehaviour and EcologyProf Nick Davies, e-mail n.b.davies@zoo.cam.ac.uk, tel. 34405 Aims. To introduce the scientific study of animal behaviour, showing how predictions can be derived from evolutionary theory and tested by comparative studies and experiments. To encourage the ability to think critically about how well observations match theoretical predictions and to consider alternative hypotheses. The first two lectures give an evolutionary perspective of how animal survival and reproductive strategies relate to their physical environment and an environment consisting of competitors and predators. Then follow ten lectures considering in detail the various problems individuals have concerning survival and reproduction: foraging, avoidance of predators and brood parasites, habitat selection, mate choice, parental care, development and co-operation and conflict in societies. Throughout the course the emphasis is on the links between ecology, behaviour and evolution. Ecological factors provide the stage on which behaviour is played and, during evolution, natural selection will favour those behavioural strategies which maximise an individual's chances of survival and its reproductive efficiency. In the last lecture we consider how an understanding of behaviour can contribute to animal welfare. The practicals involve experiments to test some of the hypotheses discussed in the lectures so students will gain first-hand experience of collecting and analysing quantitative data on behaviour, of testing alternative predictions, and of writing concise reports to summarise conclusions.
Red deer stag roaring at the start of a fight with a rival
Brains and BehaviourProf Simon Laughlin, e-mail s.laughlin@zoo.cam.ac.uk, tel. 36608 Aims. To describe the ways in which the brains of animals function, how they operate in the detection and processing of sensory information, how they organise responses to environmental change, how sensory and motor functions are integrated, and how nervous systems are involved in learning. One of the most challenging problems of modern biology is to understand the organization of the brain, especially in the control of behaviour and learning. The course draws upon examples of the specialized behaviour of certain animals and explains how their neurones and brains function. The lectures are designed to develop an understanding of common principles of neural function that are shared by a wide range of animals. These principles include the roles played by sensory and motor systems in permitting the exploitation of different habitats and the development of different lifestyles, how nervous systems generate reliable patterns of behaviour, and the logical progression from the simple to the more complex. Specific topics include:
The first practical investigates motor mechanisms in insects. The second practical is concerned with the electric discharges and electric sense found in certain families of fish. A seminar provides the opportunity to discuss the ethics of the use of animals in science.
Walking pattern of a cockroach
Lent TermInsect BiologyDr William Foster, e-mail waf1@cam.ac.uk, tel. 36615 Aims. To provide an understanding of the biology of the most successful animals on Earth, the insects, in particular their physiology, locomotion, feeding biology, mating and reproductive behaviour, and the evolution of their social behaviour. To show how the study of insects contributes to our understanding of broad principles of physiology and evolutionary biology. To provide students with direct experience of handling, observing and studying living insects. Insects are the most abundant and successful group of land animals. The course will seek to explain the secret of the insects' success by a detailed study of insect design and the adaptations of this design to an enormous diversity of life styles. The lectures will cover insect cuticle, respiration, flight and water balance, the role of the endocrine system, insect parasitoids, mating strategies, and the evolution of insect societies. The practical classes will explore the physiology, structure, behaviour and classification of insects, and are supported by the wealth of insect material in the University Museum of Zoology.
Locust in flight.
Vertebrate Evolutionary BiologyDr Jenny Clack, e-mail j.a.clack@zoo.cam.ac.uk, tel. 36613 Aims. To demonstrate that an integration of developmental and evolutionary studies enhances our understanding of vertebrate biology. To explore major evolutionary transitions and the adaptive radiations of living and extinct groups of vertebrates. The first lecture will introduce the different groups of vertebrates, familiar and unfamiliar, and briefly outline their relationships. The second lecture will cover vertebrate embryology, and introduce some basic concepts of vertebrate structure. Some examples of 'primitive' vertebrates will be introduced in more detail. The third lecture will deal with vertebrate hard tissues, their structure, origin and distribution in the body and throughout the vertebrate family tree. The structure of the skull will be introduced. In the fourth lecture, the structure of the postcranial skeleton - limbs, fins, vertebrae, will be studied, while the fifth looks at blood circulation and breathing. A lecture on sensory systems completes this part of the course and recaps the previous material. In the second part of the course, the biology of amniotes is considered to illustrate how a common set of embryological features unifies a vertebrate group whose members otherwise appear to be quite diverse. Topics include amniote diversity, embryonic adaptations, the evolution of viviparity, heart and circulatory systems in relation to mode of life, locomotor systems and their design, feeding mechanisms and head structure, and hearing in amniotes. The lectures in both halves of the course are backed-up by practical classes designed to teach the elements of vertebrate structure, function and diversity.
Easter TermEvolutionary PrinciplesDr Rufus Johnstone, e-mail r.a.johnstone@zoo.cam.ac.uk, tel. 36685 Aims. This module will review the fundamental theories underlying evolutionary biology, and consider the methods available to interpret, understand and predict the pattern and process of evolution. An understanding of evolutionary processes is of fundamental importance in Animal Biology. This module will investigate how organisms evolve at both phenotypic and genotypic levels, building up from models of evolution in populations to large-scale macroevolutionary patterns. We will examine the mechanisms of adaptation in populations involving single or multiple loci and how these can lead to predictions of future evolutionary change. The important topic of reproductive isolation among populations, and hence speciation, will also be considered. In the final series of lectures we will discuss the powerful methodology that has been developed to uncover phylogenetic relationships among organisms, and the patterns and processes of character evolution. The practicals will provide an introduction to some commonly used methods to reconstruct phylogenies and investigate evolution in a comparative framework.
Scanning electron micrograph of cod gill lamillae vasculature
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