TOPIC GUIDE
Ethology
Examine how behavior develops, evolves, and affects fitness.
KEY CONCEPTS
What to know
□Innate vs. learned behavior
□Fixed action patterns
□Conditioning
□Optimal foraging
□Mating behavior
□Kin selection
□Social behavior
Recommended reading
See the weekly Campbell and free OpenStax readings below.
MASTERY CHECKLIST
You should be able to…
- Classify behavior
- Apply optimality models
- Explain inclusive fitness
- Analyze experiments
WEEKLY STUDY
Reading and practice
WEEK 11 · Dec 14–20
Ecology + Behavior + Biosystematics
Population ecology · community ecology · ecosystems · nutrient cycles · animal behavior · taxonomy · phylogenetic trees
Campbell Biology, 12th ed. · Ch. 51–56
FREE ALTERNATIVE · OpenStax Biology 2e
- Ch. 44 — Ecology & the Biosphere
- Ch. 45 — Population & Community Ecology
- § 45.7 — Behavioral Biology: Proximate and Ultimate Causes of Behavior
- Ch. 46 — Ecosystems
- Ch. 20 — Phylogenies & History of Life
Choose one reading source for the week.
Practice: Interpret growth graphs, food webs, behavior cases, and trees.
MATERIALS
Learn, practice, check
Open a related weekly topic for its supplementary videos, practice questions, and answered Question Board discussions.