Evolutionary Ecology

Note: This 12-credit program will meet from 6 to 9:45 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 9 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. on five Saturdays each quarter (winter: Jan. 10, 24, Feb. 7, 21, Mar. 7; spring: Apr. 4, 18, May 2, 16, 30). First Spring Quarter class meets in Sem 2 E2109.

The year 2009 marks Darwin’s 200th birthday, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species. In winter quarter, we’ll focus on Darwin’s contribution to our understanding of evolution. We will read works by and about Darwin, including The Voyage of the Beagle and The Origin of Species. We’ll also study some of the work by Darwin’s contemporaries, and learn about the scientific and cultural context of Darwin’s work. In spring quarter, we will study ecology from an evolutionary perspective. Fundamentally, this means that ecological interactions can be best understood by looking at how adaptations of the organism (form, physiology, behavior) interact with its environment (physical conditions, competition, predation, etc.) to influence the organism’s evolutionary fitness (reproductive success). We’ll investigate how the perspectives of evolutionary ecology can cast light on applied problems such as conservation biology, global change, and other issues.