Biology

Ecology is the study of organisms and their interactions with the environment.  We begin by introducing the physical environment as a template for evolved structures, processes, traits, and systems.  The discussion then moves to adaptations of evolved systems across scales from photo/chemosynthesis to individual organisms to populations to communities to ecosystems, and emphasizing energy flow and nutrient cycling.  An overall theme is the effects of human activities on ecosystem structures and functions.  Students are also introduced to statistics for ecology.