Nov 18 2019 11:00 AM
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Nov 18 2019 12:00 PM
- M.Sc., Biologist & Account manager at Noldus Information Technology B.V., The Netherlands
Abstract: Behavior
is becoming an increasingly important field of study in aquatic ecology and
ecotoxicology. It has long been known that aquatic organisms show a rich and
subtle behavioral repertoire, which is vital for their survival and
reproductive success. The increasing pressure on marine ecosystems leads to a
renewed interest: researchers realize that pollutants, sound and climate change
may influence the organism's environment as well as the organism itself.
Seemingly small changes in behavior may have strong effects on population level
due to changes in competitive balance, predation pressure or reproduction.
Studying behavior has become easier due to the increasing availability of tools
and technologies. Video tracking and other image processing techniques add
power and speed to the researchers' work, and there are also tools that support
classical human observation. There is also a growing number of standardized behavioral
paradigms for fish, such as novel tank diving and shoaling. This seminar will
give an overview of available techniques and tools.
