Neuroecology

I'm currently teaching the course "Neuroecology - History, Methods & Insights" for PhD students at SISSA. The slides aren't yet share-worthy, but I'm happy to share some if contacted. The outline (which will probably be adjusted in the coming years) is as follows

Neuroecology is the study of how the structure and function of the brain has adapted to specific niches. When animals move into a new habitat, the different evolutionary pressure of that environment may favour changes in appearance and behaviour. Neuroecologists aim to understand neural circuitry by studying how the brain of animals is built to allow for those niche-specific behaviours. This course will provide an introduction to the history of Neuroecology, the methods used to study behaviour and the brain in parallel, and the main insights the science community has gained from this field.

Lesson 1: Intro Neuroecology: Definition and history of neuroecology: To start, I will provide an overview of when neuroecology started and how it is different from other neuroscience and behaviour fields.

Lesson 2: Methods Behaviour Studies: I will give an introduction into the types of behaviours neuroecologists study and the methods used to analyse behaviour. This year we discuss the following papers: Caves et al. 2018 (Cleaner Shrimp and Client Fish) and Metz et al. 2017 (Peromyscus Burrowing Behavior) 

Lesson 3: JC Behaviour Studies: After the introduction to behaviour studies in the previous lesson, we will then discuss behaviours and applied methods in a journal club. We will focus on methodological details of a selected set of publications and the specific types of insights we can gain from ecological behaviour studies.

Lesson 4: Methods Brain Studies: In this lesson, I'll introduce students to methods that allow us to study the brain in behaving animals (electrophysiology, imaging,...) and techniques to detect changes in brain structure (viral tracing, antibody stainings, early genes...).

Lesson 5: JC Brain Studies: We will read and discuss papers where we focus on brain recording techniques in the context of neuroecological studies. This year we discuss the following papers: Cheriyamkunnel et al. 2021 (Drosophila Feeding vs. Sexual Behavior), Hoy et al. 2019 (Hunting Behaviour in Mice) and Oliva et al. 2007 (Escape to Looming in Crabs) 

Lesson 6: Neuroecology vs Model Organisms: In the final block, we will discuss and contrast the use and value of traditional lab experiments with model organisms vs. ecological approaches. In addition, we discuss and practice the science communication format "elevator pitch".