This graphic illustrates some of the marsupial mammals in Australia and placental mammals in North America. Even though they are not closely related, these mammals look alike because they have adapted to similar ecological roles. From The Human Evolution Coloring Book by by Adrienne Zihlman.

An introduction to theoretical studies of systems of many interacting components, the individual dynamics of which may be simple, but the collective dynamics of which are often nonlinear and analytically intractable. Topics vary from year to year. Format includes both pedagogical lectures and round-table reviews of current literature. Subjects of interest include: problems in natural science (e.g., geology, ecology, and biology) where quantitative theory is still in development; problems in physics, such as turbulence, that demonstrate powerful concepts such as scaling and universality; and modern computational methods for the simulation and study of such problems. Discussions in context of contemporary experimental or observational data.

This in-depth, multi-part course takes you through evolutionary theory and mechanisms, from definitions to details, natural selection to genetic drift, mutations to punctuated equilibrium.

This course will look at the various mechanisms of evolution, how these mechanisms work, and how change is measured. The course will begin by reviewing the evolutionary concepts of selection and speciation. The student will then learn to measure evolutionary change and look at the history of life according to the fossil record and a discussion of the broad range of life forms as they are currently classified. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: define evolution and describe different types of selection; provide examples of microevolutionary forces and describe how they impact the genetics of populations; describe the Hardy-Weinberg principle and solve problems related to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium; provide examples of games used in evolutionary game theory; connect biological phenomena to game theory; develop simple phylogenies from molecular or morphological data; identify important evolutionary events that have occurred throughout geologic time; characterize and provide examples of major plant and animal phyla. (Biology 312)

This course describes biological changes that happen on a very large scale, across entire populations of organisms and over the course of millions of years, in the form of evolution and ecology. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Use their understanding of Mendelian genetics and patterns of inheritance to predict genotypes and phenotypes of offspring or work backwards to identify the genotypes and phenotypes of a parental generation; Distinguish between inheritance patterns that involve autosomal vs. sex-linked traits and identify the respective consequences of each type of inheritance; Identify what distinguishes DarwinŐs theory of evolution from other arguments that attempt to explain diversity across species and/or many generations; Identify which of many types of natural selection is acting on a particular population/species; Identify which of many types of sexual selection is acting on a particular population/species; Identify the factors that alter the frequencies of alleles in populations over time and describe the effects of these factors on populations; Recognize, read, and create phylogenies and cladograms, using them to explain evolutionary relationships; Determine the ecological interactions affecting a particular community and identify the effects of specific relationships (e.g. symbiosis, competition) on species within that community; Distinguish between world biomes in terms of their climate, nutrient cycles, energy flow, and inhabitants; Use their knowledge of nutrient cycles and energy flow to estimate the effect that changes in physical or biological factors would have on a particular ecosystem. (Biology 102; See also: Psychology 204)

This lab course supplements ŇIntroduction to Evolutionary Biology and EcologyÓ. Although it does not replicate a true lab experience, it does encourage greater familiarity with scientific thinking and techniques, and will enable exploration of some key principles of evolutionary biology and ecology. This lab supplement focuses on visual understanding, application, and practical use of knowledge. In each unit, the student will work through tutorials related to important scientific concepts and then will be asked to think creatively about how that knowledge can be put to practical or experimental use. Upon successful completion of this lab supplement, the student will be able to: Display an understanding of Mendelian inheritance as applied to organisms in virtual experiments; Describe the process of natural selection and understand how it will alter populations over generations and under a variety of selection pressures; Understand how the process of speciation is affected by isolation and selection pressures; Understand predator-prey dynamics under a variety of ecological conditions; Distinguish between biomes in terms of their structure/climates as well as the types and diversity of organisms that inhabit them. (Biology 102 Laboratory)

Hear the different songs of three lacewing flies, which serve as reproductive isolating mechanisms between species and determine mate choice. Lacewing audio song from Charles Henry.

From The Human Evolution Coloring Book by Adrienne Zihlman, four different proteins from humans and horses are compared in this graphic and article, and the reasons each protein evolves at its own characteristic rate are discussed. Each protein is useful for measuring evolutionary change over a different time scale.

This course presents the principles of evolution, ecology, and behavior for students beginning their study of biology and of the environment. It discusses major ideas and results in a manner accessible to all Yale College undergraduates. Recent advances have energized these fields with results that have implications well beyond their boundaries: ideas, mechanisms, and processes that should form part of the toolkit of all biologists and educated citizens.