BIOL 142 Foundations of Biology II: Ecology and Evolution

This course will introduce students already familiar with the basics of cellular and molecular biology to a broader application of those disciplines. The course will first expand on students’ understanding of genetics by demonstrating how an accumulation of small changes in the way genes are coded can lead to allelic shifts in populations (microevolution), which can contribute to populations diverging into distinct species (macroevolution). The course will follow the dynamics within populations and how they interact to form communities. The selective pressures exerted on individuals, populations, and communities will be at the forefront of the discussion of ecology. Throughout the course, important biological innovations and adaptations will be a major focal point as the history of life is used as a backdrop.

Credits

4

Prerequisite

BIOL 141

Hours Weekly

3 hours lecture, 3 hours lab weekly

Course Objectives

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the mechanisms that drive the evolution of populations and solve related problems using appropriate notation, symbols, and vocabulary.
2. Apply an understanding of population ecology to mathematical models of population dynamics and justify the reasonableness of a solution.
3. Understand various inter-specific interactions between populations that make up a community.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of ecosystem ecology and how communities interact with the non-living components of their environment.
5. Apply an understanding of biological evolution and ecological interactions to the history of life.

Course Objectives

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the mechanisms that drive the evolution of populations and solve related problems using appropriate notation, symbols, and vocabulary.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Unit Exams

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Scientific Reasoning Rubric

   Scientific Reasoning

   • SR1
2. Apply an understanding of population ecology to mathematical models of population dynamics and justify the reasonableness of a solution.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Unit Exam

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Scientific Reasoning Rubric

   Scientific Reasoning

   • SR2
   • SR3
3. Understand various inter-specific interactions between populations that make up a community.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Exam questions

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Exam answer key
4. Demonstrate an understanding of ecosystem ecology and how communities interact with the non-living components of their environment.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Exam Questions

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Exam answer key
5. Apply an understanding of biological evolution and ecological interactions to the history of life.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Exam questions

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Exam answer key