The great biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky once said, “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”, and this is particularly true of ecology. Therefore, we will start this course with a full review of evolution and natural selection. Starting with a historical overview of the development of evolutionary theory, we shall move onto natural selection, the evidence for evolution, and finally its applications to modern biology. With a better understanding of natural selection, we will then explore the concept of what is a species and how do new species arise, before shifting focus to explore the basic principles governing populations, species, communities, and finally ecosystems.

Pre/Co-requisites: Students interested in this course should have completed Bio196 and either completed or be currently enrolled in Bio205.