EVE Courses for 2009-2010

This is a list of the Evolution and Ecology courses offered for the 2009-2010 academic year. A list of all Evolution and Ecology courses is on a separate page.

EVE/ENT 2: Biodiversity (3)

No Prerequisites
Offered: Fall (Gullan and Cranston)

Introduction to nature, scope and geographical distribution of biodiversity (the diversity of life, with emphasis on plants and animals, especially insects). Humans and biodiversity - domestication, aesthetics, ethics, and valuation. Species richness and "success." Biodiversity through time; monitoring, evaluation and conservation. Biomes - global, continental, and Californian.

EVE 100: Introduction to Evolution (4)

Prerequisites: BIS 1A, 1B, 1C or 2A, 2B, 2C and BIS 101; MAT 16A, 16B, 16C or 17A, 17B, 17C; STA 13 or 100 (recommended)
Offered: Fall (Spiller), Winter(Begun), Spring (Turelli and Coop)

A general survey of the origins of biological diversity and evolutionary mechanisms.

EVE 101: Introduction to Ecology (4)

Prerequisites: BIS 1A, 1B, 1C or 2A, 2B, 2C; MAT 16A, 16B, 16C or 17A, 17B, 17C
Offered: Fall (Schoener), Winter (Shapiro), Spring (Gaylord and Schreiber)

A general survey of the principles of ecology. Topics range from ecology of individuals, populations, communities and ecosystems.

EVE 103: Phylogeny and Macroevolution (4)

Prerequisites: EVE 100
Offered: Winter (Turelli and Moore)

Patterns and processes of evolution above the species level. Homology, homoplasy, and character evolution. Adaptive radiation; modes and rates of diversification. Evolution of complexity and macroevolution of the genome. Principles of phylogeny reconstruction and their application to macroevolutionary studies.

(A student holding a ring-necked snake. Photo courtesy of Ann T. Chang)

EVE 106: Mechanical Design in Organisms (3)

Offered: SS I (Gaylord)
Prerequisite: upper division standing or consent of instructor; introductory animal biology (BIS 1B or 2B), invertebrate zoology (EVE 112), and/or ecology (EVE 101) are recommended; residence at or near Bodega Marine Laboratory required. Student must complete the application available at http://www.bml.ucdavis.edu.
Explores fundamental principles in the form and function of organisms, examining how basic properties of size, shape, structure, and habitat constrain ways in which plants and animals interact and cope with their physical surroundings. The course will employ a combination of lecture, lab, and fieldwork.

EVE 107: Animal Communication (4)

Prerequisites: BIS 1B or 2B
Offered: Fall (Patricelli)
How animals use songs, dances, colors, chemicals, electricity and vibrations to communicate. Mechanisms of signal production and detection (sensory systems), theory of information transfer and signal design and the role of natural selection in shaping communication.

EVE/PLB 108: Systematics and Evolution of Angiosperms (5)

Prerequisites: BIS 1A, 1B, 1C or 2A, 2B, 2C
Offered: Spring (Doyle)

Diversity and classification of angiosperms (flowering plants) on a world scale, and current understanding of the origin of angiosperms and evolutionary relationships and trends within them based on morphological and molecular evidence.

EVE 111: Marine Environmental Issues (1)

Offered: SS I (Sanford and Gaylord)
Prerequisite: upper division standing or consent of instructor. Concurrent enrollment in at least one course from Environmental Science and Policy 124, 152, course 106, 110, 114; residence at or near Bodega Marine Laboratory required. Student must complete the application available at http://www.bml.ucdavis.edu. May be repeated two times for credit. (Same course as Environmental Science and Policy 111.)
Readings and group discussion of critical environmental issues in coastal waters. The course will connect material from concurrent courses at BML and provide students with an integrative understanding of marine environments and conservation. The course will include two invited seminars/lectures by recognized experts.

EVE 112, 112L: Invertebrate Zoology and Invertebrate Zoology Lab (3, 2)

Offered: Winter (Sanford)
Prerequisites: BIS 1B or 2B; courses in systematics, ecology and evolution recommended. To be enrolled in 112L, must be concurrently enrolled in 112 (the lecture).
112: Survey of the invertebrate phyla, emphasizing aquatic forms and focusing on morphology, development, natural history, ecology, and phylogenetic relationships.
112L: Field and laboratory experience with representative members of the major invertebrate phyla discussed in course 112. Emphasis on comparative morphology, natural history, ecology and behavior of living invertebrates. Two field trips required.

EVE 114: Experimental Invertebrate Biology (3)

Offered: SS I (Sanford)
Prerequisite: upper division standing or consent of instructor; introductory cell, animal, and plant biology (Biological Sciences 1A, 1B and 1C or 2A, 2B and 2C), invertebrate zoology (EVE 112), ecology (EVE 101), and/or evolution (EVE 100) are recommended; residence at or near Bodega Marine Laboratory required. Student must complete the application available at http://www.bml.ucdavis.edu.
Functional biology, ecology, and evolution of local marine invertebrates, with an emphasis on adaptations to physical and biological factors encountered on the California coast. The course will offer a strong field and lab component and will emphasize testing hypotheses that are generated by the class.

EVE/PLB 117: Plant Ecology (4)

Prerequisites: BIS 1A, 1B, 1C or 2A, 2B, 2C; PLB 111 recommended
Offered: Fall (Rejmanek)

The study of interactions between plants, plant populations or vegetation types and their physical and biological environment. Special emphasis on California. Four full-day field trips and brief write-up of class project required.

EVE/PLB 119: Population Biology of Weeds (3)

Prerequisites: BIS 1A, 1B, 1C or 2A, 2B, 2C; introductory statistics recommended
Offered: Spring (Rejmanek)

Origin and evolution of weeds, reproduction and dispersal, seed ecology, modeling of population dynamics, interactions of weeds and crops and biological control. Laboratories emphasize design of competition experimented and identification of weedy species.(Course not open to students who have taken PLB 121).

(Yellow-blotched salamander. Photo courtesy of Joseph L. Huang)

EVE 131: Human Genetic Variation and Evolution (3)

Prerequisites: BIS 1B or 2B
Offered: Spring (Rannala)

Introduction to genome-wide nucleotide sequence variation in human populations and computational methods for its analysis. Topics to include forensics, disease gene mapping, and studies of human evolutionary history. Misuses, such as eugenics, and ethical/legal issues will be discussed.

EVE 141: Principles of Systematics (3)

Prerequisites: BIS1B or 1C; EVE 100 recommended
Offered: Spring (Shapiro)

Historical background, philosophical rationale, contemporary approaches, and working rules of biosystematics, including International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

EVE 147: Biogeography (4)

Prerequisites: BIS 1A or 2A, 1B or 2B
Offered: Fall (Shapiro)

Movements of terrestrial organisms. The role of geological, climatic and biological changes in the geographic distribution of organisms.

EVE 190: Undergraduate Seminar (2)

Prerequisites: Upper division standing in the biological sciences or a related discipline
Offered: Fall (Shapiro) - Topic for Fall Quarter 2009 is: Natural History and the Discovery of America

Student reports on current topics with emphasis on integration of concepts, synthesis and state-of-the-art research approaches. Reviews of literature and reports of undergraduate research may be included. May be repeated for credit.

EVE 198: Ecology and Evolution of Plant-Animal Interactions (3)

Prerequisites: Upper division standing in the biological sciences or a related discipline
Offered: Fall (Strauss)

Plants cannot move. How do they find mates? How do they defend themselves from enemies? How do their offspring get dispersed? Plants build relationships with other species. They attract and reward pollinators that bring mates. They have defense systems that engage when an enemy finds them - they even recruit enemies of their enemies (predators of herbivores)! Plants provide rewards for dispersers like birds, bats and ants that remove their seeds. And plants engage in all these interactions at once! Learn about the ecology and evolution of these interactions.