Molecular Evolution and Ecology

Catalog description

Molecular ecology employs principles of population genetics and phylogenetics to answer questions about organismal diversity, population dynamics, community assembly and macroecology. Having a foundation in molecular evolution and genomics allows for broad topical applications, including the study of infectious diseases, conservation of endangered species, organismal responses to global environmental change, and the evolutionary origins of biological diversity. Students will first learn the principles of molecular evolution, after which they will be introduced to the core techniques used to generate molecular data. Students will learn how molecular data can be developed and analyzed to address questions in ecology and evolutionary biology. It is strongly recommended that students also have taken CELL 2050 , EBIO 3080 , and EBIO 3040 or have an understanding of genetics, organismal evolution and ecological principles. This class consists of 3 lectures per week supplemented with a weekly lab. (Same as EBIO 6230 )