Behaviour and Conservation Biology

Behavioral ecology and conservation biology are two disciplines that have had relatively little contact with each other. This course provides an introduction into how various themes in behavioural ecology can be utilized in conservation biology in order to provide a better understanding of the solution to various problems in management. The course covers examples from fish, amphibians, birds and mammals, including basic data from behavioural ecology and conservation issues and management. Specific topics that will be discussed include the importance of mating systems, mate choice strategies and variation in parental care for appropriate wildlife management.

The course runs every other year, the next time being autumn 2013.

Knowledge:
Students should have general knowledge of:
How different themes in behavioural ecology can be utilized in conservation biology in order to provide a better understanding of solutions to different management problems
The importance of mating systems, mate choice strategies and variation in parental care for the management of wildlife

Skills:
Students should be able to:
Communicate concerning aspects of their work independently
Critically assess existing theories, methods and field data
Work independently in practical and theoretical problem-solving
Analyze and think critically about various information sources and use these to structure and formulate scientific reasoning


General qualifications:
Students shall be able to:
- Identify and understand the literature concerned with research in the selected topics
- Formulate tests of scientific hypotheses
- Understand and interpret empirical data as a means of explaining biological phenomena
- Present and discuss biological research with examples of the conservation biology and behaviour
- Provide extensive independent work and master the subject area

Lectures/seminars: 30 hours, mandatory

Instruction will be in English as required. Teaching will involve lectures, but classes will mostly be based upon student presentations and discussions of the curriculum in small groups. At the beginning of the semester, students will be divided into groups and these group will presents and discusses the curriculum together.