Please read the paper: Caro, T., Lombardo, L., Goldzien, A., & Kelly, M. (1995). Tail-flagging and other antipredator signals in white-tailed deer: New data and synthesis. Behavioural Ecology, 6(4), 442-450.

Critique the research article by answering the questions contained in the “Critique Form” in Unit 3 of the Course Units. When you submit your answers, be sure to label each answer with the corresponding question label on the “Critique Form” (thus, the answer to question “1a” will be labelled “1a”). Since a critique is based on opinion, most of the questions require you to “justify” or “explain” your answers. Thus, there are often several acceptable answers to a particular question, and most of the marks for a question will be assigned to your justification or explanation.

Before you begin your critique, review the following guidelines:

• The “Critique Instructions” at the end of Unit 3 in your Course Units

• The following article in your printed Course Readings: Fitzgibbon, C. D., &Fanshawe, J. H. (1988.) Stotting in Thomson’s gazelles: An honest signal of condition. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology, 23, 69-74.

• The sample critique of the above article (end of Unit 3 in your Course Units)

These three readings will remind you of what is expected in your critique.

Critique Instructions

Several factors convinced us to use critiques to evaluate your understanding of the concepts in this course. Most important, we hope that reading scientific research articles will give you a first-hand view of what is involved in testing questions about behaviours-something you as a distance student may not be as directly exposed to as are students at a campus where such research is being conducted. Second, we want to demonstrate that the field is full of unanswered (and incompletely answered) questions, and that answers develop over time through contributions from many sources. The assigned papers are chosen from areas of research that are currently very active. Third, being able to read research articles critically is an important skill, especially if you continue on to graduate research. Finally, we feel the assigned papers are interesting because they ask questions about behaviours whose causes are uncertain.

Your critique will consist of answers to the questions on the following “Critique Form.” A sample critique is also included below to indicate the types of answers expected. Since a critique is based on opinion, most of the questions require you to “justify” or “explain” your answers. This means that there are often several acceptable answers to a particular question, and most of the marks for a question will be assigned to your justification or explanation.

The following “Critique Form” is a list of questions you should answer in evaluating a paper-you will use the same form more than once. Your answers may be handwritten, typed, or word-processed. If they’re handwritten, make sure they are legible. However you submit your answers, be sure to label each answer with the corresponding question label on the “Critique Form” (so that the answer to question 1a will be labelled 1a, etc.).

Part of this assignment will involve critiquing a published paper. Follow the “Critique Form” and the sample critique of the paper “Stotting in Thomson’s gazelles: An honest signal of condition” by C. D. FitzGibbon and J. H. Fanshawe (1988, Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology 23: 69-74).

Critique Form

1. Introduction

a) What hypothesis (hypotheses) was (were) being tested?

b) If more than one hypothesis was being tested, were they competing hypotheses? Explain.

c) Into which of the three levels of explanation (of behaviour) introduced in Unit 1 did each hypothesis fit? Justify your answer.

d) If the hypothesis concerned the ultimate (“why”) causes of the behaviour, was the logic based on individual or group selection? Explain.

e) Did the introduction develop the hypotheses logically? Justify your answer.

2. Predictions

a) For each hypothesis, state the predictions that were tested (using graphs wherever appropriate).

3. Methods

a) Was the method used to test the predictions experimental? Explain.

b) If the method was experimental, for each prediction tested, what experimental treatments were used, why, and what results were predicted?

c) If the method was non-experimental, were predictions tested using direct observation or comparative data from other species? Explain.

d) i) If direct observation was used, for each prediction tested, what aspects of behaviour were observed, why, and what results were predicted?

ii) If comparative data were used, for each prediction tested, how did the animals whose behaviours were compared differ? Also, why did the investigator feel that these differences would provide a test of that prediction?

4. Results and Discussion

a) What did the investigator(s) conclude?

b) Why did the investigator(s) conclude this from the data?

BIOL 3101: Animal Behaviour U3-9 TRU Open Learning

c) Are you convinced that the conclusion(s) is (are) correct? Justify your answer.

d) What would improve the strength of the conclusion(s)? Explain.