Advanced Ecology

What determines the carrying capacity of a population? When a new species is introduced into a habitat, can we predict its effect? What regulates species in an area: a predator acting in a top down fashion, or plant biomass in a bottom up way? This course builds on the ideas presented in BIOL 0140 and deals in greater depth with population ecology, demography, life history strategies, species interactions, community structure, and dynamics. For each of these topics we will examine the mathematical models that have been developed to describe the systems. BIOL 0140, 3 hrs. lecture/computer lab.