Course Description
Exploration of the fundamental concepts and analytical techniques used in life history theory. It will provide students with content designed to illustrate both the fundamentals of life history evolution, and how life histories are studied. Theory and applications will be covered, including demography, senescence theory, and community feedbacks.
Athena Title
LIFE HISTORIES
Prerequisite
GENE(BIOL) 3000 or permission of department.
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students will learn the fundamentals of life history theory and evolution, and will learn how to apply both ecological and evolutionary analyses to life history problems. An additional goal is to strengthen students’ understanding of the scientific process via an analytical paper and presentation requirement.
Topical Outline
1 Overview of fundamental concepts 2 Evolutionary demography 3 Demography: modern techniques 4 Demography: applications 5 Senescence: historical perspectives 6 Senescence: contemporary theory 7 Trade-offs: basic overview 8 Trade-offs: contemporary issues 9 Life histories in constant environments 10 Life histories in stochastic environments 11 Life histories in predictable environments 12 Phylogenetics of life histories 13 Organismal issues and lineage-specifc life histories 14 Community feedbacks 15 Further directions in life history theory