Introduction to Evolutionary Biology and Ecology (saylor.org)

Evolution, the process by which different species of organisms have developed and diversified from their evolutionary forbears, has been a central theme in the field of biology ever since Darwin first published his theories about it. Mounting evidence from many different branches of science all point to the fact that species have experienced a gradual but definite physical change. In this course, we will learn about evolution and theories that stem from evolution. We will also learn about ecology, the study of the interactions between different types of organisms and their surroundings. Changes in surroundings will force organisms to adapt and change—often in terms of the way in which they interact with one another. An ecosystem, or a biological community that contains both an environment and all of its inhabitants, can be quite large and can contain hundreds or even thousands of species.

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

- Use his or her understanding of Mendelian genetics and patterns of inheritance to predict genotypes and phenotypes of offspring and work backwards to identify the genotypes and phenotypes of a parental generation.

- Distinguish between inheritance patterns that involve autosomal vs. sex-linked traits and identify the respective consequences of each type of inheritance.

- Identify what distinguishes Darwin’s theory of evolution from other arguments that attempt to explain diversity across species and/or many generations.

- Identify which of many types of natural selection is acting on a particular population/species.

- Identify which of many types of sexual selection is acting on a particular population/species.

- Identify the factors that alter the frequencies of alleles in populations over time and describe the effects of these factors on populations.

- Recognize, read, and create phylogenies and cladograms, using them to explain evolutionary relationships.

- Determine the ecological interactions affecting a particular community and identify the effects of specific relationships (symbiosis, competition, etc.) on species within that community.

- Distinguish between world biomes in terms of their climate, nutrient cycles, energy flow, and inhabitants.

- Estimate the effects that changes in physical or biological factors have on particular ecosystems, using knowledge of nutrient cycles and energy flow.