Comparative Neurobiology

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This unit deals with the development and mature organisation of the nervous system, as well as its capacity for repair after damage in a wide range of animals. It examines the complex 'wiring' of the brain and how this organisation relates to an animal's behaviour and its environmental needs. As examples, the unit includes studies of deep-sea fish and those birds and mammals which span the aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Animals with highly specialised senses, such as owls, are also considered. The laboratory classes provide practical experience in the examination of the central nervous systems. In this course, the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms and processes that occur between herbivorous insects and their host plants will be studied. This will provide students with advanced concepts of the discipline, a theoretical foundation and methodological research tools.