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Ecology
and Evolutionary Biology
Biological Diversity:
Ecology and Evolution
Ecological
Theory
and Research
Biogeography
and Paleoecology
Evolution
Geographic
Information
Systems and Remoting Sensing
Field
Biology
Natural
History
of Plants
Environmental
Themes
Population,
Food, and Farms
Global
Change
Environment
and Human History
Local Landscape
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What
I Teach
I teach courses and tutorials in
several, linked
areas of biology and environmental studies. Approaches vary according
to
the nature of the work we are studying and doing. Science classes,
whether
for beginning or advanced students, always involve: direct study of the
primary research literature and the work of researchers in the field;
design
(and often execution) of original research; and, of course, lots of
direct
contact with the organisms and systems being studied -- lots of time in
the field. Classes with environmental themes emphasize critical and
integrative
analysis of the work and writings of people from many perspectives and
individual assessment and address of real problems and scenarios
The list that follows is not an exhaustive
list of
course possibilities; new classes and croup tutorials happen each year
in response to student initiatives and my own evolving interests.
Classes in
Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology
Biological
Diversity: Ecology and
Evolution:This
class will be organized around the attempt to understand biodiversity.
Why are there so many kinds of organisms? Can we explain observed
patterns
of diversity in terms of theoretical structures? In terms of history?
Can
we make predictions about diversity? Do differences in diversity affect
other ecological phenomena? These questions have not yet been fully
answered,
but they are important both for basic scientific understanding and for
addressing current environmental concerns. Understanding current
thinking
regarding any of them will require application of a variety of basic
ecological
and evolutionary principles and methods.
Ecology is a contextual
approach to
biology; it is the study of organisms in interaction with one another
and
with the natural environment, and deals with questions about the
distribution,
abundance, and diversity of organisms in natural and man-made
ecosystems.
Evolutionary biology addresses the processes which shape organisms and
generate diversity; it also involves reconstruction of the unique
history
that is responsible for the shape of the modern biological world. These
fields are intricately and intimately linked; it is impossible to
grapple
with ecological questions without evolutionary thinking or to
understand
evolution outside of ecological context. Our exploration of diversity
will
require a synthesis of these two modes of biological thinking in
examining,
for example, biogeography of islands, problems in conservation biology,
and life histories of plants and animals. We will also apply concepts
developed
to environmental problems and conservation and to the study of human
nature.
Our objective is
development of facility
in development and pursuit of ecological and evolutionary questions
through
application of basic principles and by rigorous scientific method. We
will
also emphasize gaining of familiarity with organisms and natural
systems
and ways of looking at them.
Syllabus,
(return to top)
Evolution:An
advanced course. Darwin didn't invent the idea of evolution, but his
insight
into mechanisms constitutes one of the major revolutions in science,
and
the methods he used in pursuing his ideas made him, arguably, the first
"modern" scientist. Evolutionary theory offers a powerful conceptual
unity
for biology. The modern body of theory that derives from Darwin's
original
concept offers explanatory insight and informs current research in
every
area of life science, from paleontology, to molecular biology, to
physiology
and anatomy, to plant and animal behavior, to human origins and
nature.
This course will establish
a deep grounding
in selective theory (including some exploration of population genetics
and concepts of fitness) and explore a variety of particular questions.
Our focus will be on the process of evolution more than its history.
Particular
topics will include: evolution of life histories and reproductive
behaviors
(including mating systems), evolutionarily stable strategies (including
applications of game theory); competing theories of sexual selection;
the
implications of different "levels" of selection and inclusive fitness
("gene-level"
selection on the one hand, "group selection" on the other); coevolution
in mutualistic and predator-prey (parasite-host) systems; evolution of
social behavior; and the (multiple) origin and loss of sex. Throughout
the class, we will focus on current research problems along with
theoretical
background, and explore how evolutionary hypotheses and questions can
be
addressed by the techniques of scientific inquiry.
The class will require
extensive reading
in primary and secondary literature, and students will be expected to
write
several papers and develop synthetic responses to theoretical and
applied
problems. It is appropriate for any student with interest and prior
work
in biology; some familiarity with basic concepts of genetics, general
principles
of physiological function, etc. will be assumed.
Syllabusand
Linksreturn
to top
Ecological
Theory and
Research: Whole
organisms in context. Ecologists attempt to understand the distribution
of organisms, their abundance and diversity, in time and
space. This entails the study of adaptation in the context of phsyical
environment, the potentialities and regulation of reproduction and
dispersal,
the modes and consequences of interactions among organisms of different
kinds, and the behavior of whole systems (communities and ecosystems)
in
space and time. We will range widely in our exploration of ecological
theory
and application, but will attempt to develop some detailed focus on a
few
particular and current problems For example:
- What regulates biological
diversity?
Why are some systems (tropical reefs, some deserts, some rainforests)
so
much more diverse than others?
- Are populations of
herbivores more
generally limited by availability of food or by predation? What about
the
predators themselves? Plants?
- Can the interactions
among populations
of competing organisms be modeled and predicted? If so, can dynamics of
whole communities of organisms be understood and predicted?
- What are the likely
responses of
landscape pattern and biological diversity of human-induced and natural
changes in climate and other large-scale environmental factors?
In parallel, we will
explore the intellectual
approaches and research techniques by which such questions can be
addressed.
Ecologists, among biological scientists, confront unique difficulties
in
research; ecological systems are extremely complex, often unique
(unreplicable)
or unamenable to experimental control and manipulation. Advances in
understanding
have been based on clever and innovative intellectual approaches as
well
as experimental and observational techniques and tools. Students will
work
with a variety of research tools -- observational techniques for
habitat
study, field measurement equipment, computer models of populations and
landscapes (including Geographic Information Systems), and statistical
tools for data analysis -- in group projects and in individual research
projects. Syllabus and
Linksreturn
to top
Biogeography
and Paleoecology: Biogeography
and paleobiology look at ecology and evolutionary biology in broad
spatial and temporal perspective. We attempt to answer questions about
the ranges and distributions of organisms, about spatial patterns in
diversity
and other ecosystem characteristics, about response of biological
systems
in the face of grand climatic and geological change, and about the
great
trends and patterns in evolutionary development of biological
diversity.
In addressing such questions we must touch upon studies of climatology
(for example, the causes and effects of episodes of glaciation and
greenhouse
warming) and geology (particularly plate tectonics). Some of the
questions
we may address: What accounts for the geological pattern of repeated
mass
extinction (dinosaurs and others) followed by adaptive radiation? How
are
global biological patterns influenced by the history of continental
drift,
and how do these patterns inform about evolutionary relationships? What
makes islands biologically special? Why is Australia's biota so
distinctive?
How are broadly disjunct, but closely related organisms to be
understood
(ostriches and emus, llamas and camels, etc.)? Why are the tropics so
diverse?
How are sea floors like islands? Can we make generalizations about
rarity
and geographically restricted range in plants and animals? How have
continental
glaciations affected the biota of North America and Eurasia? These are
not problems of only theoretical interest. Conservation policy and
management
are based on applied biogeography (what is the best preserve design for
effecting the best, long-term maintenance of biodiversity?). In the
course
of addressing such problems we will find ourselves acting as both
theorists
and explorers -- exploring the potential for rigorous,
hypothesis-testing
address of biogeographical questions, while becoming acquainted with
the
history and richness of biological pattern and diversity in the world.
Syllabus and Links return
to top
Tutorials in
Landscape
Ecology and Geographical
Information
Systems: Links
Classes in
Botany and
Plant Science
Natural History
of Plants:Plants
define the biological environment. All organisms depend on their
capacity
for photosynthesis. Their structure and chemistry have shaped animal
(including
human) evolution, and we depend on their products for food, medicine,
structural
materials, and many other things. Yet few people can name even the
dominant
plants in their environment, recognize the role of vegetation in
providing
living landscape, or are aware of the particulars (and vulnerabilities)
of our dependence on plants. This course will encompass a general
exploration
of the structure, habits, and diversity of plants, with a strong
emphasis
on the study of plants in habitat. Themes will include: basic plant
structure
and function (anatomy, physiology, development); identification of
plants
in habitat (with an emphasis on the local flora) and an understanding
of
their evolutionary relationships (taxonomy and systematics);
relationships
between plant growth and habit and species distributions and abundance
(ecology); the history and nature of human use of and dependence on
plants
(ethnobotany). The course will include extensive field work in diverse
terrain and weather, and there will be at least one weekend field-trip.
Syllabus
and Links
Plant
Taxonomy/Campus
Flora Project
Advanced
Projects in
Botany
Classes
in Environmental
Studies
Population,
Food, and
Farms: Global population is
expected
to pass 10 billion within 35 years. 35 years ago, it was less
than
3 billion. The 'Green Revolution' increased grain yields several-fold,
but total yields are no longer increasing, and there is concern about
genetic
impoverishment and supply of fossil fuel-based fertilizers and
pesticides.
Within 20 years, the food import requirements of China alone are likely
to absorb all available exportable food, radically affecting the status
of food importing and exporting nations. The average tomato in a U.S.
supermarket
travels over 2000 miles. U.S. farm population, which comprised more
than
50 percent of the country 75 years ago, is now under 2 percent, while
multinational
corporations have become the largest block of agricultural
land-holders.
What are the primary factors determining human population growth? Can
they
be effectively managed? Should they be? Can any agricultural system be
truly sustainable, or will soil degradation inevitably demand external
inputs? Was Jefferson correct in arguing that democracy was most
(only?)
viable in a society of land-owning farmers? Can free-market economies
and
sustainable agricultures coexist? In this course we address problems
growing
from the interactions among human population, changing technologies,
agricultural
ecosystems, and cultural and economic changes and patterns. This calls
for both application of principles from ecology and evolutionary
biology
and consideration of difficult socioeconomic and ethical problems. Syllabusreturn
to top
Global Change:
Science, Policy, and Security in an Uncertain World:
More than
at
any other time in the history of human civilization, we are
unable
to project where we are heading by where we have been; we are, at a
global
scale, moving into uncharted territory. World-wide, eight of the ten
hottest
years on record have occurred in the last decade, and the best
estimates
are that, within the next century the world will likely experience
climates
warmer than any since the evolution of humans on the planet. Humans now
pre-empt a third or more of all biological production on the planet,
with
the consequences of massively accellerated extinction (estimates range
as high as a species every few minutes), wholesale rearrangement of
nutrient
and material cycling, and regional collapses in productivity of
fisheries
and agricultural systems. Our social and economic structures are
embedded
in these global systems, and are deeply dependent on a fossil fuel
resource
that is approximately half-way to depletion. These claims emerge from
diverse
fields of inquiry and are based on many forms of data and types of
models. How
confident can we be in making such predictions? How can you assess the
accuracy of claims based on highly technical models and understanding?
How can you weigh counter-claims? If the predictions are accurate, how
will human social, economic, and political structures be affected? How
should our decisions and actions, individually and corporately, be
influenced
by these predictions and their inherent uncertainties (the world has
always
been changing, so what's the big deal)? Syllabus, return
to top
Reading
Landscapes: Understanding
Spatial Patterns in the Natural and Designed Environment
Environment and
Human
History: Home,
Readings,
Links, Bibliography.
In
an age of overpopulation, pollution, deforestation, global
warming,
ozone depletion, and other omens of imminent environmental ruin, the
natural
and social sciences converge in the need to understand the historical
origins
of our current predicament in the interaction between culture and the
physical
environment. How has the evolution of human society and culture altered
the natural environment? What impact has the natural environment had on
the formation and history of human cultures? We will explore major
historical
episodes of profound interaction between culture and environment, as
well
as subtler episodes of interaction between social and ecological forces
and their impact on human institutions. In parallel, we will track the
historical evolution of European and American ideas about nature, from
the enchanted world-views of the Middle Ages to the environmental
movement
of the present day. Have regional differences in discovery and adoption
of particular technologies (agriculture, metallurgy, wheeled vehicles,
domestication of animals) been influenced by ecological and
biogeographical
setting? Have climate changes driven or triggered important phenomena
in
human history (decline of early southwestern pueblo cultures, European
renaissance)? Did evolutionary relationships with pathogens influence
geopolitical
dynamics of the age of European colonialism? Were the dynamics of
classical
Mediterranean civilizations driven by soil degradation? We will read
and
analyze arguments for and against strong environmental influence on the
course of human history, and students will be expected to develop
critical
responses in writing and in class discussion. Primary readings will be
drawn from a variety of sources, including work by both historians
(e.g.,
William Cronin, Alfred Crosby) and scientists (e.g. Jared Diamond,
Emily
Russell). return to top
Conservation
Biology
Examples of
Thesis Tutorials
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