BIOL 384 - The Ecology of Evolution

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

This course explores the causes of adaptive radiation, possibly the most common syndrome of proliferation of taxa, through evidence that has accumulated since the formulation of the theory. The course reviews the ecological theory of adaptive radiation, the progress of adaptive radiation and phenotypic evolution, the origins of ecological diversity, divergent natural selection between environments, the ecological basis of speciation, and ecological opportunity. Primary literature is used to develop a richer understanding of the theory of adaptive radiation, whose origins trace back to Darwin (1859). Mr. Proudfoot.

Prerequisite: two units of 200-level Biology courses.

Two 75-minute periods.