BIOL423-20S2 (C) Semester Two 2020

Evolutionary Ecology

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 13 July 2020
End Date: Sunday, 8 November 2020
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Friday, 24 July 2020
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Friday, 25 September 2020

Description

Aims to equip ecology students with the evolutionary biology underpinning the dicipline. Students will advance their knowledge of current issues and approaches in evolutionary ecology, particularly those of relevance to global change. The course has a focus on phenotypic evolution and processes occurring at the interface of ecology and evolution.

This course lies at the interface of ecology and evolution. The thread linking the discussion topics is the Anthropocene- specifically how humans impact (and have always impacted) the evolution of other species.  It explores how a combination of molecular, experimental and ecological approaches can be used to investigate how human–non human interactions influence the distribution and abundance of organisms. Key principles include natural selection/ adaptation and phenotypic plasticity/epigenetics, and how they interact. It will be useful for those with interest in conservation, biodiversity, invasion biology and global change.

Recommended preparatory course(s): BIOL377, BIOL378 or BIOL371.

Learning Outcomes

  • As a student in this course, I will develop the ability to:
  • have a critical appreciation of current questions and approaches in evolutionary ecology (assessment task: internal assessment).
  • understand how evolutionary processes underpin ecological interactions (task: seminar).
  • access, synthesise and critically assess primary scientific literature on evolutionary ecology (Assessment task: final exam).
  • synthesise primary scientific literature in order to generate a clear and concise argument in support of a perspective (assessment task: final exam).
  • discuss evolutionary ecology with leading scientists in the field.

    Transferable Skills Register
    As a student in this course, I will develop the following skills:
  • Discovery, synthesis and interpretation of information.
  • Evaluation of arguments and evidence, and debating alternative points of view.
  • Engage in science and technology issues with a broader understanding of their social context.

Prerequisites

Subject to approval of the Head of School.

Restrictions

BIOL478

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Hazel Chapman

Lecturers

Amy Osborne and Dave Kelly

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Essay 30%
Final exam 60%
Presentation 10% Short in-tutorial presentations

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,054.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see School of Biological Sciences .

All BIOL423 Occurrences

  • BIOL423-20S2 (C) Semester Two 2020
  • BIOL423-20S2 (D) Semester Two 2020 (Distance)