Tara Rajaniemi, PhD

The principles and practices of the scientific discipline of ecology. Interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment will be emphasized. Interactions will be described and analyzed at the organismal, population, community, and ecosystem levels. In the laboratory, students will use hypothesis-testing and experimentation to examine theoretical and empirical aspects of ecology.

Patterns and processes shaping distributions, abundance, and diversity of species. Topics include interactions between pairs of species, structuring of multispecies communities, and responses of species pairs and larger species networks to the physical environment. These questions are explored through conceptual frameworks of communities, mathematical models, foundational publications in the field, and current research. Plant, animal, and microbial communities are considered.

Patterns and processes shaping distributions, abundance, and diversity of species. Topics include interactions between pairs of species, structuring of multispecies communities, and responses of species pairs and larger species networks to the physical environment. These questions are explored through conceptual frameworks of communities, mathematical models, foundational publications in the field, and current research. Plant, animal, and microbial communities are considered.

Terms and hours to be arranged. Graded A-F.

Terms and hours to be arranged. Graded A-F.