2009 Course Handbook
BBE302: Behavioural Ecology
In this unit students will be introduced to practical behavioural ecology in situ in the Australia arid zone. The program is built around an intensive 10 day residential field course based at the Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station, in far-west NSW, during the Easter break. This compulsory field trip will be supported by a short lecture component on campus in the weeks immediately before (3 weeks x 2 hours) and after (2 weeks x 2 hours). The practical component of the course will focus on the characteristic arid zone fauna (invertebrates, reptiles, birds and mammals) found throughout much of the Australian interior, and will introduce techniques widely used in ecological and behavioural research, by wildlife agencies and the ecological industry (e.g. surveying, trapping, monitoring). The course will explore behavioural ecology in the context of the arid zone environment investigating patterns of movement, reproduction, communication, life-history, foraging ecology, sociality, and population dynamics.
| Credit Points: | 4 |
| Contact Hours: | 5 |
| When Offered: | D1 - Day; Offered in the first half-year |
| Staff Contact: | Associate Professor Ken Cheng |
| Prerequisites: | BBE200 or BIOL208 or PSY236 |
| Corequisites: | |
| NCCWs: | |
| Unit Designations: | Science |
| Assessed As: | Graded |
| Offered By: |
Department of Brain, Behaviour and Evolution |
Timetable Information
For unit timetable information please visit the Timetables@Macquarie Website.