Lecture Details :
Principles of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior (EEB 122)
The idea of ecological communities has changed tremendously over the past forty years. The classical view stated that there were so many different species because evolution packed them tightly into the available niches. The modern view emphasizes the idea of trophic cascades, or top-down control in food chains. This emphasized the importance of predation in ecology, although it downplayed the significance of food webs, which showed the interrelated nature of ecosystems better than simple food chains.
00:00 - Chapter 1. Introduction
01:45 - Chapter 2. The Classical View
04:42 - Chapter 3. Trophic Cascades
23:08 - happier 4. Community Assembly
37:48 - Chapter 5. Meta-communities
44:26 - Chapter 6. Conclusion
Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses
This course was recorded in Spring 2009.
Course Description :
The Nature of Evolution: Selection, Inheritance, and History - Basic Transmission Genetics - Adaptive Evolution: Natural Selection - Neutral Evolution: Genetic Drift - How Selection Changes the Genetic Composition of Population - The Origin and Maintenance of Genetic Variation - The Importance of Development in Evolution - The Expression of Variation: Reaction Norms - The Evolution of Sex - Genomic Conflict - Life History Evolution - Sex Allocation - Sexual Selection - Species and Speciation - Phylogeny and Systematics - Comparative Methods: Trees, Maps, and Traits - Key Events in Evolution - Major Events in the Geological Theatre - The Fossil Record and Life's History - Coevolution - Evolutionary Medicine - The Impact of Evolutionary Thought on the Social Sciences - The Logic of Science - Climate and the Distribution of Life on Earth - Interactions with the Physical Environment - Population Growth: Density Effects - Interspecific Competition - Ecological Communities - Island Biogeography and Invasive Species - Energy and Matter in Ecosystems - Why So Many Species? The Factors Affecting Biodiversity - Economic Decisions for the Foraging Individual - Evolutionary Game Theory: Fighting and Contests - Mating Systems and Parental Care - Alternative Breeding Strategies - Selfishness and Altruism