Ethology

General Information

• Elements of Behavior: A general description provided by the world bank (PDF).
• Aplysia and Learning: Eric Kandel discusses his research with the sea slug Aplysia and why it is an important model organism for learning and memory. DNA Learning Center.
• Animal Behavior: NatureEducation Knowledge Project includes over 20 links on animal behavior at basic, intermediate, and advanced levels.

Methodlogy of Ethology

• Bowling Green University: Research Methods in Animal Behavior: Describes sampling methods.
• The Ethogram: Quantifying Behavior and Testing Hypotheses: Provides method for developing ethograms.
• Ecological Reserve at Race Rocks: Students can observe organisms on live feed or archived videos to develop an ethological study. Instructions on how to conduct the study are provided. Many other resources are available on this site.
• Living LInks: Teaching materials on ethogram development to include a series of animal behavior videos by the Living Links to Human Evolution Research Centre

Innate and Learned Behavior

• AAAS Science Netlinks: Exploring Learned and Innate Behavior: Exploring learned and innate behavior in man and monkeys. Includes downloadable teacher and student pdfs. Basic information written for Grades 6 to 8.
• Baylor College of Medicine: BioEd Online Innate Behavior (Deanne Erdmann): Powerpoint slides on Introduction to Animal Behavior (innate, learned, patterns, cognition, and communication. Click on Video series to view the slides and hear Dr. Erdmann’s presentation.
• Conditioning
  • Example of Classical Conditioning for the Office
  • Example of Operant Conditioning from the The Big Bang Theory. The film clip is an MP4 and takes about 2 inutes to download to view.
• Kimball Biology
  • Innate Behavior :Overview of innate behavior to include taxes, reflexes, and instinct.
  • Some Common Examples of Learned Behavior: Overview of learned behavior.
• North Carolina State University: Innate Behavior: Overview of innate behavior focused on insects.
• Nudibranchs: Videos of nudibranch biodiversity and behavior.
• Read My Lips: Photos of bonobo facial expressions and behavior:

Communication and Social Behavior

• The Waggle Dance of the Honeybee by Georgia Tech’s  Multi-Agent Robotics and Systems Lab (MARS) (where scientists study social insect behavior, and try to apply what they’ve learned to robotics)
  Video and explanation of the waggle dance.
• Honeybee Behavior from University of Sussex: Footage of honeybee swarming, guarding, egg-laying, and attending the queen.
• The Octopus: One of Earth’s Smartest: Video of octopus, scuttling along the bottom of the ocean in Indonesia, using coconut shells to hide and for protection.
• Octopuses: BBC Nature page on octopuses with videos of various behaviors.
• SciDaily: Researchers Show How the Brain Turns on Innate Behavior: Article on research on innate behavior and the role of the brain.

Foraging Behavior

• Animation of Foraging Behavior: Freeman Biology overview, animation, and quiz of foraging behavior.
• Bumblebee and Foraging Behavior: Full list of resources on bumblebee to include a small section on other invertebrates.
• Foraging Behavior in Animals: Explores the foraging behavior of animals in relation to the metabolic payoff an animal receives when employing a number of different foraging options.
• Barn Owl Foraging Behavior: Overview of foraging behavior in barn owls as it plays in the role of ecology.

Defensive Behavior

• Animal Adaptations: Defense: Several animals’ defense adaptations are provided by CUny, Brooklyn.
• Animal Planet: Mobbing Behavior in Meerkats: Video clip of mobbing behavior in meerkats.
• Pheremomes: How animals communicate via pheremones.
• Stetson University: Mobbing Birds (Peter May): Photos and descriptions of mobbing birds

Mating Systems and Parental Care

• Mating and Parental Care in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Primate fact sheet provided by University of Wisconsin University-Madison.
• Mating Systems and Parental Care: Online lecture by Yale University / Stephen C. Stearns.
• Avian Mating Systems: Includes diagrams and videos of various bird mating systems.

Biological Rhythms

• Biorhythm (Wikipedia): History of biorhythms, now considered a pseudoscience.
• Circadian Biology (Chronobiology and Circadian Rhythms): USCD Center for Circadian Biology, ostering innovative research that reveals the mechanisms, general principles, and applications of biological rhythms in diverse organisms.
• Current Zoology: Horseshoe crab behavior: Patterns and processes: Research articles on Horseshoe behavior, circadian rhythms, and development.
• NIH Curriculum Supplement: Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and Biological Rhythms: Free downloadable teaching materials on sleep and biological rhythms.
• The Plant Cell: Circadian Rhythms in Plants: Discussion of circadian rhythms in plants, includes Powerpoints of slides.
• ScienceDaily: Circadian Rhythms: Discussion of the 24-hour cycle in the physiological processes of living beings, including plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria.
• National Institute of General Medical Science: Fact sheet on circadian rhythms.
• Why Young Sunflowers Follow the Sun: Explanation of the effects of the sun on the growth of young sunflowers.

Source: https://www.usabo-trc.org/node/93.