Duration
20h Th, 2h AUTR
Number of credits
| Bachelor in bioengineering | 2 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The Animal Behavior course (2 ECTS credits) is one of four teaching units integrated into the Zoology module. It is taught in a lecture hall and does not include practical sessions. However, the instructor reserves the right to adapt the content and teaching methods from time to time based on educational opportunities (field examples, current scientific developments, presentations by guest experts) and organizational constraints.
The course content is structured around Tinbergen's four questions, which form the methodological foundation of ethology:
Function: adaptive role and selective value of behaviors.
Otogenesis: development of behaviors over the course of an individual's life.
Evolution: phylogenetic origin and diversification of behaviors within lineages.
Mechanisms: physiological, sensory, and neurobiological bases underlying behaviors. In addition, the course introduces cross-disciplinary themes, such as:
social interactions and collective behaviors,
communication strategies (visual, acoustic, chemical),
the principles of chemical ecology applied to the study of behavior.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
Apply Tinbergen's four-question framework to the analysis of a specific animal behavior.
Explain the ontogenetic bases (genetic, environmental, and developmental factors) involved in the acquisition and expression of a behavior.
Analyze the influence of evolution on the emergence and diversification of animal behaviors, using comparative examples.
Present and discuss the adaptive function of a behavior in relation to selection pressures and reproductive success.
Describe the underlying mechanisms (sensory, hormonal, neuronal) that enable the expression of a behavior.
Situate animal behavior in an ecological and social context, highlighting its implications for survival and reproduction.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
None
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Lectures
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Additional information:
Face-to-face lectures
Course materials and recommended or required readings
There is no syllabus provided. All powerpoint slides will be provided to the students using ecampus.
A book is used to provide examples during the course:
"Un Tanguy chez les hyènes: 30 comportements surprenants des animaux", par François Verheggen, Editions Delachaux-Niestlé.
Other recommanded books:
Ethologie animale - Une approche biologique du comportement (Darmaillacq et Lévy). Editions de Boeck.
Le comportement animal - Psychobiologie, éthologie et évolution (McFarland). Editions de Boeck.
Tristram Wyatt, Pheromone and animal Behaviour, Eds Cambridge University Press
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions )
Additional information:
Written exams, performed on computer, and involving MCQ and/or dissertation questions.
The teacher reserves the right to consider the clarity, structure and formatting of the answers in his evaluation.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
Prof VERHEGGEN François
Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech
Avenue de la faculté d'agronomie 2B
5030 Gembloux
Belgique
+32 81 622662
fverheggen@uliege.be