Ecology 320-ERS-1ECEz

Substantive content:
The course presents biosphere as the effect of natural selection acting over millions of years under specific conditions on Earth, and discusses several ecological and behavioral phenomena from an evolutionary perspective. Particular emphasis is placed on examples of evolutionary processes observed under natural conditions, as well as on the effect of anthropic pressure on conditions and life on Earth.

1. Definition of ecology, problems studied by ecology, scientific methods applied in ecology.
2. Biosphere: Earth as habitat for life.
3. Energy flow and matter cycles in biosphere; productivity and decomposition.
4. Ecosystems, ecological succession. Ecological processes shaping dynamics of communities.
5. Basic trophic interactions (predation, competition, parasitism).
6. Population – spatial structure, demography, structure, growth, survival patterns.
7. Macroecology (ecogeographical rules, species area relationship, biodiversity, extinctions).
8. Climate change: causes and effects.
9. Selection in the wild, factors maintaining genetic variation in the wild, epigenetic variation.
10. Adaptation and evolutionary constraint.
11. Evolution of life history traits, evolutionary trade-offs.
12. Sexual selection, mating systems.
13. Evolution of altruism and selfishness (kin selection, eusociality, other forms of altruism, parent-offspring conflict, sibling competition).
14. Optimalization of foraging strategy.
15. Evolutionary ecology of Homo sapiens.

During laboratory exercises students learn models of problems taught during lectures and analyze sample results (e.g. population structure and growth, trophic interactions, optimalization of foraging strategy), and (if opportunity allows) participate in field ecological projects.