BIOS9112 – Life-history strategies and climate effects
Course description
Course content
The course provides a thorough introduction to methods and concepts from life history theory, demography and quantitative genetics, and a range of applications of these methods including the study of how organisms respond to climate change.
A life history describes the main fitness-related events individual organisms go through from birth to death, including development, growth, maturation, and reproduction. Life history theory addresses fundamental questions in ecology and evolution, as well as important applied problems in conservation and management.?
Learning outcome
After completing the course, students should
- Understand the concepts of life history and life history strategies, and their link to fitness and population dynamics.
- Know how the main life history parameters and selection gradients can be calculated for a given organism using life tables and matrix models.
- Be able to describe central evolutionary theories used to explain variation in life history strategies within and among species.
- Be able to apply concepts from quantitative genetics to explain the evolution of life history traits in a changing environment.
- Understan