Evolution in Human-Altered Environments
BIOL 215
Spring 2017
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01
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Human activities have altered natural environments and, indeed, have created entirely novel ecosystems such as cities and high-input farms. This course examines how these human alterations to the environment affect the evolution and coevolution of diverse organisms. Starting with an intensive overview of basic ecological and microevolutionary principles, we will consider a number of contemporary scenarios: evolutionary response to environmental contaminants, exploitation of natural populations, and global climate change; evolution in urban and agricultural ecosystems; and the evolutionary impact of nonnative, invasive, and genetically modified organisms. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
NSM BIOL |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: [BIOL182 or MB&B182] |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (BIOL)(ENVS-MN)(ENVS)(IDEA-MN)(IDEA)(INFO-MN) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Textbook chapters (Futuyma, Evolution; Stearns and Hoekstra, Evolution: An Introduction; Freemon and Herron, Evolutionary Analysis)
Journal articles from the recent scientific literature (4-5 per week)
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Examinations and Assignments:
The course is a lecture/discussion with a substantial reading component and an independent project based on library research. Required readings will consist of textbook chapters for the initial 3 weeks, and 4 recent articles from scientific journals each week thereafter. Course grades will be based on the following criteria:
1) midterm exam
2) oral presentation of independent case study project
3) final paper on case study project (15 pp. text, 20 published references)
4) contributions to class discussion |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Students interested in Environmental Studies and in the biological disciplines of Ecology and Evolution are particularly encouraged to participate. Those lacking the prereq (Biol 182) should contact the professor directly. |
| Instructor(s): Sultan,Sonia Times: ..T.R.. 02:50PM-04:10PM; Location: HALL84; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 32 | | SR major: 14 | JR major: 10 | | |
| Seats Available: 13 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 4 | JR non-major: 4 | SO: 0 | FR: X |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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