BIO 201 - Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity

An investigation of the interaction of evolutionary and ecological processes that have led to the great biological diversity observed in the world over geologic time. The course will begin with foundational concepts in genetics, particularly those responsible for creating genetic variation. The course will also discuss the geological and physical processes responsible for creating heterogeneous environments. Class discussions will then focus on the interactions of the biological systems with an ever-changing environment leading to an understanding of the mechanisms responsible for biodiversity. Concepts common to both evolutionary and ecological studies such as parasitism, predation, competition, sexual selection and speciation will be examined using current examples from both botany and zoology. A laboratory section of the course will reinforce the concepts discussed in lecture using metropolitan area as a classroom, along with computer simulations and experiments designed to illustrate current techniques used to study ecology and evolution. Three hours of lecture, two hours of lab.
Lecture
Credits: 4
Prerequisites: BIO 101 & BIO 102 and minimum of MTH 135