Unit information: Neuroethology in 2021/22

Unit name	Neuroethology
Unit code	BIOL20026
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Professor. Holderied
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None.
Co-requisites	None.
School/department	School of Biological Sciences
Faculty	Faculty of Life Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

The field of neuroethology takes a comparative and evolutionary approach to the fundamental links from physical stimuli that sensory systems encode and feed into brains that in turn create animal behaviour. The unit will provide a direct link between the sensory ecology taught in year 1 (in BIOL12000 Life Processes and BIOL10002 Key Concepts for Biologists) and in year 3 (in BIOL31132 Sensory Ecology). Together they provide a logical sensory biology and neuroethology pathway through the biology degree. Our aims are:

• To examine our current understanding of how sensory information is processed and results in complex behaviour and decision making.
• To introduce the diverse nature of stimuli measured by sensory modalities.
• To explore cellular transduction mechanisms and resulting neuronal encoding.
• To gain insights into sensory bias and anthropocentric interpretation.
• To teach fundamental concepts about how neural circuits work.
• To describe current research that uses modern interdisciplinary research techniques.
• To distinguish and compare the brains of different animals.
• To discuss how brain functions have specialised through the process of evolution.
• To describe complex cognitive abilities such as navigation.

Throughout the course we will emphasize how technological innovations and advances have driven the development of the field over recent years.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit, students should be able to:

• Explain the key concepts of neuroethology
• Describe the physical stimuli underlying the sensory transduction processes
• Describe sensory transduction and processing mechanisms
• Explain sensory bias and how this links to a species' ecology
• Explain the basic operation and processing potential of simple adaptive neuronal networks
• Describe the primary structures in the central nervous systems of a variety of species that process sensory information
• Describe how multiple-sensory input determines behaviour
• Explain how sensory, morphological, physiological and behavioural adaptations have evolved through natural selection
• Contrast alternative models of brain evolution
• Critically discuss the relationship between brain size, structure and cognition
• Demonstrate understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of the subject areas
• Interpret and employ the principles of experimental design, hypothesis testing and statistical analysis of psychophysical and neuroethology data.
• Read, interpret and evaluate scientific papers on evolutionary neuroethology

Teaching Information

Lectures, directed reading, research and/or problem-solving activities, practical exercises, and independent study. There will be three formative practical classes and one summative.

Assessment Information

Coursework from the practical classes (40%) plus summative written assessment (60%) with one essay question to be selected from a choice of three. The ILOs are assessed in both the CA and summative written assessment.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. BIOL20026).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.