B8130 Ethology

Faculty of Science
Spring 2002
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. RNDr. Jiří Gaisler, DrSc. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. RNDr. Jiří Gaisler, DrSc.
Department of Botany and Zoology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: prof. RNDr. Jiří Gaisler, DrSc.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
History and methods of studying the animal behaviour. Coordination schemes, motivation-stimulus-response, nature and nurture, appetitive behaviour, releasing mechanisms, consummatory act, conflict situations. Behaviour patterns, circadian rhythms, communication. Play behaviour, imprinting, habituation, associative learning (conditioning), insight. Brief information on sociobiology, behavioural ecology and applied ethology.
Syllabus
  • History of studying animal behaviour, physiological, psychological and ethological cues, methods. Patterns of behaviour, behavioural system hierarchical structure, innate (stereotype) and adaptive behaviour, orientation patterns, kinesis, taxis, piloting and navigation. Fixed action patterns, appetence behaviour, consummatory actions, variability and criticism of "instincts". Major behavioural patterns: foraging behaviour and related phenomena, protection and anti-predatory behaviour, care of own body, reproductive behaviour. Social behaviour, animal societies, agonistic behav. and other mechanisms of social integration. Biocommunication, signal structures and functions, major communication channels: chemical (pheromones), tactile-mechanical, acoustic, optic, other; bee dances. Special signalling (echolocation), ritualization of behaviour. Antagonistic motivations, displacement activities. Play and curiosity behaviour, exploration, imprinting, imitation. Associative learning, classical and operant conditioning, triar-and-error learning, insight. Ontogeny a phylogeny of behaviour, traditions, cultural evolution. Rhythmicity of behaviour, circadian and other biorhythms, torpidity, hibernation estivation sleep. Introduction to sociobilogy and behav. ecology, modelling. Applied ethology.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2000, Spring 2001.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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