Syllabus
Practical course consisting of several tasks focused on various methods of experimental designs, observational methods, animal subjects, and equipment. (1) Bioacustical analyses using BatSound and Avisoft; (2) Analysis of hierarchy in winter flock of tits; (3) Mate choice experiment in zebra finches; (4) Exploration in mice and birds; (5) Agonistic behaviour and mate choice in Betta splendens; (6) Space orientation in rats using elevated plus-maze; (7) Agonistic behaviour within group of cichlid fishes; (8) Agonistic behaviour of house-mice males in dyadic encounters; (9) Recognition and agonistic interaction in termites; (10) Food neophobia in great tits; (11) Sexual, agonistic and antipredatory behaviour in geckos; (12) Mate choice in Poecilia reticulata; (13) Reaction of great tits to aposematic prey; (14) Antipredatory (mobbing) behaviour of birds using dummies of predators; (15) Lag-sequential analysis.
Annotation
Please note, the lectures are given in Czech language. English version of the course can be requested in advance if there are at least 3 students.
Descriptive versus experimental research; choice of subject; reconaissance observations; empirical versus functional descriptions of behaviour; catalog, repertoire, ethogram; classification of behavioural units; research hypotheses; experimental design; manipulation; sampling methods; data-collection equipment; ethological software; statistical analysis of behavioural data, practical exercises in the field and in the laboratory including some classical experiments.