Praktikum (LV 25564-01):

Pheromones and Animal Behaviour:

practicals in chemical ecology (3 KP)

(last update: 30.05.2011)

Please register for this course by 31. July 2011. E-mail: mathias.koelliker@unibas.ch

Module 1: Weitere Lehrveranstaltungen für den Wahlbereich Biologie (Bachelor in Biology)
Module 2: Master in Animal Biology

Lecturers and supervisors

Mathias Kölliker (Ass. Prof.: responsible lecturer)
Joel Meunier (postdoc)
Janine Wong (Ph.D.-student)
Elodie Belz (Ph.D.-student)
Lilian Röllin (lab manager)
Contact: E-mail: mathias.koelliker-at-unibas.ch; Phone: 061 267 03 79; Web: www.evolution.unibas.ch/koelliker

These pictures show examples for pheromone communication and analysis (from left to right): an earwig female tending her nymphs, a male moth with its impressively complex antennae, a chromatogram (output from GC - analysis), scent marking in hyenas, and chemical defense in the bombardier beetle.

Location, time, structure and duration

This course takes place at the Zoological Institute (Vesalianum, Vesalgasse 1, 4051 Basel). It is a full-time bloc course during week 36 (05.-09.09.2011). Mornings will typically consist of lectures on topics in pheromones and animal behaviour, as well as methodological issues in pheromone research (gas-chromatography, experimental design, statistical analysis of chemical data). We will spend the afternoons in the laboratory and learn different extraction techniques, the preparation of samples for GC-MS analysis, running samples on a GC-MS, the interpretation of Mass-Spectra for identification of compounds, and the use of statistical methods to analyse blends of substances. The evaluation for this course will consist of two parts: 1) a written exam, and 2) a written report/essay on a project carried out and analysed during the practicals including some literature work. There will be time to write the report/essay after the course.

Aims of the course

Obtaining an overview of the diversity of forms and evolutionary functions of pheromones and their effects on animal behaviour
Becoming familiar with terminologies in chemical ecology and signal evolution
Introduction to experimental design in pheromone research
Learning to extract, identify and quantify pheromone compounds (GC-MS)
Learning to statistically analyse the data obtained from GC-MS analysis
Practicing scientific writing

Scripts

The slides of the lectures will be available during the course as pdfs here.

Introduction to the course

Examination

To pass this course and obtain the corresponding credit points, participation is expected, and the written exam and report/essay have to be successfully passed. The exam takes place on Friday, 17. Sept. 2011 (time of day to be determined) in the small lecture hall of the Zoological Institute. The written reports have to be handed in (as pdf by e-mail to mathias.koelliker-at-unibas.ch is ok) by Monday, 07. Nov. 2011.

Admission/requirements

Due to logistic restriction for practical work in the lab, the course is limited to 15 students. Please register early and no later than 31. July 2011.

First meeting

The course will start on Monday, 05. September, at 08h15 in the small lecture hall of the Zoological Institute (Vesalgasse 1, 1st floor).

Textbook

The course will be partly based on the textbook by Tristram D. Wyatt (2004). Pheromones and Animal Behaviour: communication by smell and taste (2004, Cambridge University Press; ISBN: 0-521-48526-6; paperback).

Misc

For additional administrative information concerning this course; see Vorlesungsverzeichnis