Courses <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Population and Community Ecology (ECOL 4000\/6000)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Population and community ecology are active fields of research with important applications for management and conservation. This course links conceptual issues and basic models with data and field approaches relevant for understanding population and community dynamics in time and space. Approximately, the first third of the course focuses on the birth, death, and movement of organisms, with particular reference to the population dynamics of single-species; the middle third of the course focuses on interactions among species, including competition and predation; and the final third of the course focuses on the causes and consequences of biodiversity (the co-occurrence of multiple species).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Offered every fall. Recent Syllabus<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Freshwater Ecosystems (ECOL 4310\/6310)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This course explores freshwater ecosystems (lakes and streams), their biota, physical and chemical properties, linkages between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and the effects of global change. Students will learn the key research methods in aquatic ecology including sampling techniques, water chemistry analysis, identification of biota, experimental design, data analyses, and written and oral communication skills as part of the laboratory portion of the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Offered every fall. Recent Syllabus<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Population Biology of Infectious Disease (ECOL 4150\/6150)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This course introduces students to the field of infectious disease ecology, an area of study that has developed rapidly over the past three decades and addresses some of the most significant challenges to human health and conservation. Students will learn about the incredible diversity of parasitic organisms, arguably the most abundant life forms on the planet, and examine how pathogens invade and spread through host populations. Throughout the course, an emphasis will be placed on understanding of infectious diseases dynamics at the population level, and on quantitative approaches for studying pathogen spread and impacts. Specific topics include types of pathogens and their ecological properties, epidemiology and impacts on host populations, types of transmission, evolution of resistance and virulence, drivers of the emergence of new diseases, parasites in the context of ecological communities, strategies for controlling outbreaks, and the role of parasites in biodiversity and conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n