Week 6 - Oct. 7th
Student Presentations

READ:
See Moodle for Posted Papers and Discussion Questions.
Choose 2 papers to read and prepare typed answers for the questions supplied by the presenter.
 

 

Week 6 - Oct. 9th
Neuroethology

If you've forgotten how a neuron works, how an action potential travels, or how neurotransmitters are released, you should review that chapter in an introductory biology text.

One area of ethology is "neuroethology". This field focuses on how behavior is generated by an animal's nervous system. Neuroethology differs from neurobiology slightly because it approaches the questions from an evolutionary angle as well as the mechanistic questions. This isn't to say that neurobiolgoists don't consider evolution but it is not always central to their research. Furthermore, a neuroethologist (like an ethologist) is concerned with the animal in its natural environment. We will look at a few different examples of natural adaptive behaviors from diverse organisms to understand how their nervous systems have evolved.

READ:
Essential Animal Behavior chapter 2

Roeder, K.D. and Treat, A.E. (1961)
The detection and evasion of bats by moths. American Scientist 49:135-148.

Nishikawa, K.C. (2002) Evolutinary Convergence in Nervous Systems: Insights from Comparative Phylogenetic Studies. Brain Behav Evol 59:240-249.
(warning: this one may open only in acrobat)

EXTRA:
Anyone with a strong interest in Neuroscience might also be interested to read.
Rose (2004) Insights into Neural Mechanisms and Evolution of Behavior From Electric Fish. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 5:943-951.