Faculty of Arts & Sciences

An integrated approach to the diversity of life, emphasizing how chemical, physical, genetic, ecological and geologic processes contribute to the origin and maintenance of biological diversity. Topics to be covered include the evolution of metabolic pathways, multicellularity and structural complexity; causes and consequences of differences in diversity over space and time; the role of species interactions (including symbioses) as an evolutionary force; and the evolution of humans and their impact on the environment.

Introduction to invertebrate diversity, will cover the development, adult anatomy, biology and evolutionary relationships of the main animal phyla including sponges, mollusks, annelids and arthropods among others. Special emphasis is placed on understanding the broad diversity of animal forms and their adaptations to different ecosystems and how these phenomena shape animal evolution. Lectures will be complemented with a mandatory weekly lab and a field trip to different areas of outstanding marine diversity in the Caribbean.

The course covers micro- and macro-evolution, ranging in its focus from population genetics through molecular evolution to the grand patterns of the fossil record. Topics emphasized include both natural and sexual selection, the ecological context of adaptation, genomic and developmental mechanisms of evolutionary innovation, speciation, phylogenetics, and evolutionary approaches to human problems.

This course examines the relationships of organisms to their environment at the individual, population, and community level. The course covers topics in both pure and applied ecology including: adaptations to the physical environment, population dynamics, competition, predator-prey interactions, community ecology, ecosystem structure, stability, and function, the ecology of infectious diseases, and natural resource management.

A review of the behavior of animals under natural conditions, with emphasis on both mechanistic and evolutionary approaches. Topics include classical ethology; behavioral endocrinology; behavioral genetics; learning and memory; communication; orientation, migration and biological rhythms; optimal foraging; evolutionary stable strategies; sexual selection; parental investment and mating systems; selfishness, altruism, and reciprocity; and sociality in vertebrates and invertebrates.

Supervised reading on topics not covered by regular courses. For OEB concentrators, work may be supervised by faculty in other departments, provided it is co-sponsored by an OEB faculty member. For non-concentrators, work must be directed by an OEB faculty member. Students must submit a registration request to the OEB Undergraduate Office before enrollment. Students cannot take OEB 91r and 99r simultaneously with the same director.

An introduction to the biology of mammals. Lectures and laboratories examine the morphology, systematics, natural history, behavior, ecology, evolutionary relationships, and biogeography of all major taxa.

This course explores the functional organization and anatomy of motor circuits in the brain and how they control movements, including simple reflex movements, rhythmic movements, and more complex sequences of learned movements.

Origin, evolution, dispersal, paleoecology, and geologic history of the major groups of the plant kingdom. Laboratory study of representative groups, living and fossil.

A lecture course in evolutionary developmental biology. Main principles and mechanisms of development as illustrated on both invertebrate and vertebrate animal model systems. In this course we will discuss how animal embryos develop adult body plans on cellular and molecular level. Particular emphasis will be placed on how knowledge of developmental biology helps us understand major evolutionary transitions and the origin of innovation in animal evolution.

The ocean as an ecological system, with focus on environmental-organismal interactions that regulate plankton production and transfer to higher trophic levels. Specific topics include bloom events, the limits to fish harvest, and the effects of climate change on ocean systems. Plankton demonstrations and optional coastal research vessel day trip.

How plants are affected by climate - both spatially across the globe and as climate changes over time - is relevant to understanding patterns of plant evolution, ecosystem structure, and the impact of humans on our planet. This course examines how variation in rainfall, temperature, atmospheric humidity and CO2 affects the growth and productivity of plants. Topics include photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, and vascular transport; experimental approaches and measurement techniques will also be covered.

An examination of the major aspects of microbial endosymbiosis with emphasis on mutualisms, although some parasitic interactions are covered. Topics include origins of the eukaryotic cell, specificity and recognition of partners, distribution and diversity of associations, and coevolution of host and symbiont. The course covers symbiotic interactions among bacteria and archaea with protists, fungi, plants, and animals, including the human microbiome.

Fishes inhabit diverse aquatic environments including deep seas, intertidal zones, coral reefs, polar waters, the vast Amazonian basin, and great East African lakes. A single fish species may occupy diverse environments through extraordinary long distance horizontal and vertical migrations. To explore this unparalleled diversity, the course emphasizes bridging traditional academic boundaries with integrative analyses of the biology underlying rapid evolutionary radiations and stasis.

Biogeography aims to explain distributions of organisms through historical and ecological factors. This course will focus on the history of biogeographic research, developments in the area of historical biogeography, and on ecological processes that affect distributions of whole clades. Topics include plate tectonics and earth history, vicariance and dispersal, areas of endemism, phylogenetic niche conservatism, latitudinal gradients in species richness, and the theory of island biogeography. Software for biogeographical analysis will be discussed and evaluated.

A survey of the evolution and development of major groups of vertebrates, integrating the paleontological record of the origin of chordates, diverse fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals with current understanding of the genetic, cellular and developmental mechanisms that underlie these transformations.

An introduction to the major groups of insects. The life history, morphology, physiology, and ecology of the main taxa are examined through a combination of lecture, lab, and field exercises. Topics include the phylogeny of terrestrial arthropods with a review of the extant orders, an analysis of abiotic and biotic factors regulating populations, including water balance, temperature, migration, parasitism, mutualism, sociality, insect/plant interactions, medical entomology, and the use of insects in biological control.

An introduction to the biology of amphibians and reptiles. Lectures and laboratories examine the morphology, systematics, natural history, behavior, ecology, evolutionary relationships, and biogeography of all major taxa.

An exploration of how animals and plants contend with their physical environment, considering their biomaterial properties, structural form, and mechanical interaction with the environment. Through lectures, seminar discussions, and student presentations based on readings, students are introduced to topics related to biomechanical performance.

Some genes cheat random inheritance to gain disproportionate representation in progeny. The results for organisms range from beneficial to strongly detrimental; some may even cause extinction. The evolution of selfish elements and their suppressors is a rich drama that unfolds in genomes with important implications for evolution, speciation, human and animal health, and agriculture. This course will explore the mechanisms by which genes or chromosomes cheat, and counterstrategies that evolve to thwart them.

This course examines how microbes and animals have evolved to maintain function throughout the wide range of extant habitats. Emphasis is on physiological/biochemical evolution in response to environmental conditions, including climate change and life in extreme environments. As the first course in the "genomes to biomes" series, we will examine new approaches to interrogating organismal physiology in nature. Those interested can continue the "genomes to biomes" program via LS 100r.

An introduction to laboratory techniques in experimental physiology, this course will utilize a variety of equipment and several model organisms to empirically investigate foundational concepts in physiological and biochemical adaptation. Labs will complement and extend topics discussed in the companion class, OEB191. After demonstrating proficiency with core techniques, students will design independent research projects to explore novel questions in ecological physiology.

You've designed your experiment, made your measurements, and analyzed your data. Now what? How do you write a paper that will not only get accepted, but also get cited? This is a hands-on workshop course targeted at graduate students who are ready to write up their first research paper for submission to a peer-reviewed scientific journal. The class will emphasize the idea that your paper should tell a (nonfiction!) story that engages the reader. By the end of the semester you will have a coherent, well-structured, and polished manuscript.

Four principal animal groups (insects, frogs, birds and mammals) sing and call in habitats around the world. We discuss the ecology, evolution and characteristics of such acoustic communities and the hypothesis that their members compete for "bandwidth". We discuss readings on acoustic ecology and evolution, and listen to (and watch, via spectrum analysis) soundscapes from selected tropical and temperate habitats. The capstone will be a fieldtrip to record natural soundscapes.

Readings (mainly from the scientific literature) and discussion of what defines and theoretically underpins the field of conservation biology - though discussion is on the current version of the field, readings will span its development over the last 50+ years.

Examines the remarkable diversity of the microbial world, "the unseen majority". Physiological, genetic, ecological, and evolutionary characteristics of Bacteria and Archaea are discussed, as well as the relation of phenotype to phylogeny. The course has strong links to fields ranging from geochemistry and climate change to the human microbiome, and will include discussions with experts in microbial biodiversity.

This discussion-based course will survey modern ideas about speciation, and how they have changed as a result of genomic approaches. As well as readings and discussions in class, the course will utilize live online video sessions with major players in the field of evolutionary genomics and speciation.

Human impacts on marine life and ecosystems of the sea.

Teaches the basic principles of aseptic surgery with emphasis on practicality. Students learn basic "open" surgery as well as newer high-tech videoscopic minimally invasive technique, obtaining hands-on experience in scrubbing, gowning, and sterile technique while serving as anesthetist and surgeon.

Readings and discussion of primary literature in population and evolutionary genetics.

A critical examination of the concepts and methods related to the study of adaptive radiation and macroevolutionary diversification. Evolutionary consequences will be studied from both empirical and theoretical perspectives. Emphasis will be placed on current controversies on applying modern conceptual and analytical approaches to long-standing questions.

A research seminar on how core theories of sustainability science provide a framework for improving the well-being of present and future generations in ways that conserve the planet's life support systems. The seminar will engage in a critical discussion of the underlying theory of the field and evaluate case studies of efforts to manage particular coupled human-environment systems.

This semester we will explore through readings of the recent literature the ways in which comparative genomics can inform phylogeny and genomic adaptation. In addition to surveying recent methods for harnessing thousands of loci for phylogenetic reconstruction, we will also study how comparing genomes of higher clades can reveal signatures of adaptation, particularly in the noncoding portion of the genome.

Ecological genetics explores the adjustments and adaptations of wild populations to their environment. We will use the primary literature to explore how diverse organisms are actually evolving in nature, and challenge the traditional divide between evolution and ecology.

Infectious diseases rapidly evolve to evade our immune systems, drugs, and vaccines, to remain agents of great morbidity and mortality. We will investigate the genome evolution of these pathogens and our intervention strategies for them past and present, with case examples from avian flu, malaria, TB, lassa fever and more. The seminar will design and develop a General Education course on these themes for undergraduates.

Designed for students in ecology and evolution. Through readings and discussion we examine the history of the conservation/preservationist movements. We focus on how various constituencies value nature, and the legal system for protecting nature.

Presents the research interests and experiences of scientists in organismic and evolutionary biology. Specific topics treated vary from year to year.