BIOL 20020 Animal Behaviour Report Instructions 

 For this assessment, you will be asked to write a report on dolphin behaviour based on the data and analyses carried out in Week 7 and 10 and utilising your knowledge from across the unit. This report will comprise 50% of your mark for the unit. 

 You must submit the report as a PDF via blackboard by the deadline: 4pm, 3rd December 2024 

 During the following practical sessions, you will learn how to use non-parametric statistics and social network analysis, and you will use the data from these sessions in your report. 

 Week 7 (1st November): Use the data in this practical as part of your report– you must include the use of statistical tests to determine whether tool-use and sex (either separately or combined) influence at least two activity budgets (foraging and socializing) in dolphins.

 Week 10 (22nd November): Use the data in this practical as part of your report – you must include at least one social network figure to help you explain how dolphin social structure differs by sex and tool use. 

 As part of your report, you must also choose two of the four social network metrics calculated in week 10 (degree, strength, eigenvector and betweenness) and use your knowledge from across the unit to do one statistical analysis of your choice on each social network metric. What can you tell us about how each social network metric varies between dolphins? Do tool-use and sex influence social network structure? You will not be told what statistical analysis to use – this must be your decision. Week 11 (29th November): In Week 11 you will be provided with some background information on the dolphin population, and you will use the practical session to work on your report, synthesizing your work from Weeks 7 and 10 into a cohesive report on dolphin behaviour. 

 The report page limit is a maximum of 2000 words, but this does not include figures, figure legends or your references, so you can put in as many figures as you think is appropriate. The report should follow the following structure: Title, brief Intro (remember to state what your hypotheses are!), Methods (description of raw data and choice of analysis), Results (correctly interpret and present data), and brief Conclusions.

 Your report must include the following: use of statistical tests to determine whether tool-use and sex influence dolphin activity budgets (Week 7); use of social network analysis to determine whether tool-use and sex influence social network structure (Week 10), and you must test this with a statistical test of your choice from across the unit. Further instructions and guidance will be provided later in the unit.