BIOL 398 - Selected Topics in Ecology and Evolution

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: BIOL 220, and at least junior standing. Topics include ecology, behavior, evolution, and natural history of selected taxonomic groups. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.

Fall 2017, BIOL 398-01: Topic: Ecology and Conservation (3). Prerequisites: BIOL 220 and permission of the instructor. What is biodiversity, how did it come about, and what is its future? How do ecological systems work, and how (and why) can we conserve biodiversity in the Anthropocene? The recognition that global biological diversity is threatened with a precipitous decline of a magnitude similar to the past five mass extinctions, by human activities, has stimulated much ecological research. We explore major ecological concepts and how they relate to biodiversity by reading and analyzing the primary research literature. Following a lecture portion of the course to introduce major concepts, students will prepare oral presentations of research based in the primary literature, both assigned and of their choice. Hurd.