BioCore: Ecology and Evolution

Ecosystem and community structure, population growth, species interactions and niche dynamics, population and chromosomal genetics, speciation in fossil records, ecology of animal behavior, applied ecology. Prerequisites: BCOR 1400 or BIOL 1400, and BCOR 1450 or BIOL 1450; or BCOR 1425; MATH 1212 or MATH 1234.

Prereqs enforced by the system: BIOL 1400 / 1450 or BCOR 1400 / 1450 or BCOR 1425; and MATH 1212 or MATH 1234. Must register for a BCOR 2100 lab; Open to Degree and PACE students; Majors: ASCI, BICM, BIOL, BISC, ENSC, MGEN, MICR, NEUR, PBIO, ZOOL, NDEG.

This is a lecture and laboratory course that is required for Biology majors and several other science majors on campus. Lectures emphasize mathematical models of population growth and changes in allelic frequency. Lab exercises introduce students to modern statistical principles of data analysis using the programming language R.

-Attendance at all lectures. Lectures rely on the chalkboard, not on powerpoints or class notes. -Active participation in lectures through the asking of thoughtful questions. -The course covers a lot of quantitative material, and students need to keep up with assignments and lecture content. Students who do not have the pre-requisite courses in Biology and Calculus should not take this course. -Attendance at all weekly lab meetings. It is rarely possible for students to make up missed lab exercises. -Full adherence to UVM’s policy on academic honesty and plagiarism. Students who miss class, neglect laboratory assignments, and try to study by cramming before exams often end up failing.

The course grade is based on the total points accumulated from 4 midterm exams (the lowest score of the 4 is dropped), the final exam (which is cumulative and cannot be dropped), and numerous lab quizzes and lab reports that are due each week in the laboratory section. Exams require students to solve quantitative problems, write short essays, define vocabulary terms, and evaluate data.