Introduction to Evolutionary Biology and Ecology

Subject:

Science and Technology

Institution:

The Saylor Foundation

Collection:

Saylor Foundation

Level:

Post-secondary

Abstract:

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)

Language:

English

Material Type:

Assessments, Audio Lectures, Full Course, Lecture Notes, Readings, Syllabi, Video Lectures

Media Format:

Audio, Downloadable docs, Graphics/Photos, Text/HTML, Video

Conditions of Use:

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0
You are welcome to share, remix, and adapt this course under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License; however, many linked materials within this course are copyright of their respective authors/owners and may not be openly-licensed. Please respect the copyright and terms of use associated with each resource.

Copyright Holder:

The Saylor Foundation