BIOL 201 - Principles of Ecology and Evolution
The first course in the new Biology Core Sequence, being offered for the first time in Fall 2014. BIOL 201 offers a basic introduction to the concepts of ecology, including physiological and behavioral
ecology, population and community ecology, and ecosystem and landscape ecology,
and to evolution, including natural selection and population genetics,
speciation, and phylogenetic history and systematics of life. Students will be able to:
1. Explain important concepts in
ecology relevant to the relationship between an organism and its environment at
the level of an individual (physiological and behavioral ecology), a
population, a community, an ecosystem, and a landscape.
2. Explain important concepts in evolution relevant to the creation and maintenance of the diversity of life, including natural selection, microevolution and population genetics, speciation and macroevolution, and phylogeny and systematics.
3. Discuss the role of humans within an ecological and evolutionary context.
4. Formulate hypotheses based on observations of natural phenomena, design experiments to test hypotheses, collect and analyze data, and interpret the results.
5. Communicate effectively in writing (prose, graphs and tables) their experimental methodology, results, and conclusions.
2. Explain important concepts in evolution relevant to the creation and maintenance of the diversity of life, including natural selection, microevolution and population genetics, speciation and macroevolution, and phylogeny and systematics.
3. Discuss the role of humans within an ecological and evolutionary context.
4. Formulate hypotheses based on observations of natural phenomena, design experiments to test hypotheses, collect and analyze data, and interpret the results.
5. Communicate effectively in writing (prose, graphs and tables) their experimental methodology, results, and conclusions.
