2012 SUMMER COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT (July 15-August 9)
FIELD COURSE IN TROPICAL ANIMAL BEHAVIOR (TAB C-12),
http://www.itec-edu.org/behavior3.html.
COURSE LOCATION: Bocas del Toro Biological Station, Boca del Drago,
Isla Colon, Republic of Panama. The biological station is located on
a beach facing the Caribbean Sea. Coral reef and seagrass ecosystems
lie out in front of the station and lowland tropical rain forests lie
directly behind. This juxtaposition of the two most biologically
diverse ecosystems provides tremendous opportunities for education
and research. See Panama: http://www.itec-edu.org/index.html for
details.
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Peter N. Lahanas, Institute for Tropical Ecology and
Conservation, 2911 NW 40th PL, Gainesville, FL 32605, 352-367-9128,
[email protected].
Specialty: Neotropical herpetology, forest ecology, animal behavior,
biogeography, molecular genetics of sea turtles.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will emphasize animal behavior in the
context of tropical rain forest ecosystem. The material covered is
equivalent to a university upper level course in animal behavior.
The course is divided into three parts. During the first few days
students will become familiar with the many ecosystems found in our
area and with the trail systems during "orientation" walks. The bulk
of the first 10 days will be spent learning field techniques and
carrying out various group projects or exercises (see below). Midway
through the course the entire station community takes a 3-day field
trip to cloud forests of Boquete (see details below). On returning
to the field station, students work on their individual research
projects and continue to receive lectures or other activities in the
evening.
Formal lectures Formal lectures will take place in the classroom and
will include the use of PowerPoint presentations and chalkboard.
Lectures will generally be given in the evening so that more daylight
hours can be spent in the field. Lecture topics will include:
o Station policies, forest etiquette
o Animal behavior, an overview
o Behavioral research design
o Neotropical ecosystems and structure
o Behavioral sampling methods
o Neotropical amphibians and reptiles
o Neotropical birds
o Neotropical mammals
o Mating systems
o Plant-animal interactions, symbioses
o Evolution of polymorphism in poison dart frogs
o Conservation issues
Informal Lectures Informal lectures will be provided periodically
during orientation walks, during group field projects or in
discussion groups. These will cover a wide variety of topics and will
generally be prompted by what we encounter in the field, or by the
direction taken during group discussions.
Readings Readings corresponding to lecture subjects will be assigned
in the texts. We will also read and critique papers brought by
students and faculty and additional readings may be assigned from
time to time. In addition, each student will read, critique, and
provide oral reports on published papers brought to Bocas.
Required Texts:
Martin, P. & P. Bateson (1993). Measuring Behaviour, Cambridge
University Press, 222
pg, ISBN 0 521 44614 7.
Kricher, J.C. (1997). A Neotropical Companion. 2nd. ed. Princeton
University Press, Princeton.
Field Book A field book will be required in the course. The field
book will contain all data related to group projects and independent
research project. The field book should also contain all other
incidental observations such as species lists, behavioral notes,
etc., and contain detailed location information. The field book must
be water-proof and either pencil or water-proof ink used to record
data.
Group Field Projects, Exercises, Demonstrations and Excursions Group
projects designed by the faculty and worked on in groups of four or
six students. The purpose of these projects is to familiarize
students with an array of field sampling techniques and equipment
commonly used in field studies. With help from a faculty member,
students set up projects, collect data, and generally (depends on the
project), analyze data, present the results to the class, and write a
report.
Group Project, Demonstration and Excursion Topics
o Behavioral sampling methods
o Ethogram exercise
o Ecological sampling methods
o Forest night hikes
o Homing behavior in poison-dart frog
o Tail flicking behavior in geckos
o Soropta Beach, nesting leatherbacks
o Lekking in golden-collared manakins
o Cave ecology, bats behavior
o Soropta canal, Iguanas, caimans and crocodiles
o Resource partitioning in frog breeding colonies
o Marine turtle nesting behavior
Individual Research Projects Working closely with faculty, students
will be responsible for designing and completing an original animal
behavior research project of their choosing. These projects will be
carried out during the second half of the course and students will
have about 10 days for data collection. A few days before the end of
the course students will analyze their data, write a technical
report, prepare a PowerPoint presentation of their work and orally
present their findings at a station-wide symposium on the last day of
the course.
BOQUETE CLOUD FOREST FIELD TRIP: This three-day field trip takes
place midway through the course and will allow students the
opportunity to experience assemblages of amphibians and reptiles
found in tropical cloud and seasonal forests. We travel in ITEC
boats to the mainland and then by private bus to the town of Boquete
which lies at the base of 11,000 ft Volcan Baru. The bus trip will
take us up and over the central mountain range and through remote
Palo Seco National Park. Several stops will be made in route.
COURSE LENGTH: ITEC Summer field courses are four weeks in length.
The TAB C-11 will run from July 15 through August 9, 2012.
TUITION: $2050 USD. Tuition fee includes all lodging, meals and
airport transfers in Bocas del Toro. The tuition also covers
transportation and lodging during the 3-day cloud forest field trip
on the mainland.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: May 15, 2012. The course is limited to 15
students and applications will be evaluated as they arrive. If you
believe that your application may arrive late, notify ITEC.
GRADING and COURSE CREDIT: Up to 6 units of credit will be given, 3
for the lecture portion and 3 for the field portion. A letter grade
will be assigned based on exams, reports, proposals, attendance at
lectures, as well as by less tangibles such as personal attitude,
motivation, and contribution to the course. Course credit must be
arranged at the student's institution. Contact ITEC for details.
CONTACT: Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation, 2911 NW
40th PL, Gainesville, FL 32605, 352-367-9128, [email protected],
http://www.itec-edu.org/index.html.
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**********************************************************
Peter N. Lahanas, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation (ITEC)
2911 NW 40th Place, Gainesville, FL 32605, USA
phn: 352-367-9128
web: http://www.itec-edu.org
Bocas del Toro Biological Station
Boca de Drago, Isla Colon, Prov. Bocas del Toro
Republic of Panama
phn: 507-6624-9246
