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Courses in Ecology (ECL)

Graduate Courses

200A. Principles and Applications of Ecology (5)

Lecture—4 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: first course in Ecology (e.g., Environmental Science and Policy 100), Statistics 102, Mathematics 16A, 16B or consent of instructor; pass 1 open to graduate majors. Provides a broad background in the principles and applications of ecology, and serves as a foundation for advanced ecology courses. Topics include ecophysiology, behavioral ecology, population ecology, genetics and evolution. Emphasis on historical developments, current understanding, and real world applications.—I. (I.) Holyoak, Rice

200B. Principles and Applications of Ecology (5)

Lecture—4 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: course 200A; pass 1 open to graduate majors. Principles and applications of ecology, continuing topical coverage from ECL200A. The course covers principles of community structure and functioning, species diversity patterns, ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry, landscape ecology, biogeography and phylogenetics.—II. (II.) Cornell

201. Ecosystems and Landscape Ecology (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: course 200A and 200B. Overview of ecosystem and landscape principles (structure, energy, nutrient flow, species diversity, landscape heterogeneity, change and stability), building on ecological principles and theory. Introduction to analysis tools (remote sensing, geographic information systems, modeling) applied to landscape systems. Offered in alternate years.—(II.) Cadenasso, Eviner

203. Physiological Ecology (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Evolution and Ecology 101 or Environmental Studies 100; Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior 110 or Plant Biology 111 or Environmental Studies 129; elementary calculus. A comparative examination of several animal groups addressing fundamental physiological mechanisms that shape the ecology of each animal group. Offered in alternate years—III. Wainwright

204. Population and Community Ecology (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: Environmental Studies 100 or Evolution and Ecology 101, Mathematics 21A-21B or consent of instructor; Mathematics 22B recommended. Review of major concepts of population ecology and community ecology, with emphasis on the rationale of theory and use of theory as applied in the ecology of natural and managed systems. Offered in alternate years.

205. Community Ecology (4)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—2 hours. Prerequisite: Environmental Studies 100, Evolution and Ecology 101, or Plant Biology 117. Introduction to literature and contemporary research into processes structuring ecological communities.—(II.) Karban, Lawler

206. Concepts and Methods in Plant Community Ecology (4)

Lecture—3 hours; laboratory—4 hours. Prerequisite: introductory courses in statistics and plant ecology; consent of instructor. Principles and techniques of vegetation analysis, including structure, composition, and dynamics. Emphasis given to sampling procedures, association analysis, ordination, processes and mechanisms of succession, and classification. Most techniques are demonstrated or conducted during field trips and laboratories.—I. (I.) Rejmanek

207. Plant Population Biology (3)

Lecture—2 hours; laboratory/discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: advanced undergraduate ecology course (e.g., Environmental Science and Policy 100, Evolution and Ecology 101, Entomology 104 or Plant Biology 117), and advanced undergraduate course in genetics and/or evolution (e.g., Biological Sciences 101 or Evolution and Ecology 100). Introduction to theoretical and empirical research in plant population biology. Emphasis placed on linking ecological and genetic approaches to plant population biology. (Same course as Population Biology 207.) Offered in alternate years.—(II.) Rice

208. Issues in Conservation Biology (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: one of Environmental Studies 100, Zoology 125, Botany 117, or Entomology 106. Graduate-level introduction to current research in conservation biology. Course will emphasize reading and discussing primary literature. Specific topics will reflect the research interests of UC Davis conservation biology faculty.—II. (II.) Harrison

210. Advanced Topics in Human Ecology (4)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—2 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing. Course stresses the commonalities that human ecologists have as social scientists who specialize in problems relating human populations and environmental variables. General epistemological issues and theoretical models are reviewed. Similarities and differences of human and biological ecology are examined. Offered in alternate years.—(II.) Richerson

211. Advanced Topics in Cultural Ecology (4)

Lecture/discussion—3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: Environmental Science and Policy 133/Anthropology 133 and graduate standing in Ecology or Anthropology. Topics of current analytical and methodological importance in cultural ecology. Examination of general issues in cultural ecology through study of human response to and influences on climate. (Same course as Anthropology 211.) Offered in alternate years.—(I.) Orlove

212A. Environmental Policy Process (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: course in public policy (e.g., Environmental Studies 160) or environmental law (e.g., Environmental Studies 161); course in bureaucratic theory (e.g., Political Science 187 or Environmental Studies 166); course in statistics (e.g., Sociology 106 or Agricultural and Resource Economics 106). Introduction to selected topics in the policy process, applications to the field of environmental policy. Develops critical reading skills, understanding of frameworks of the policy process and political behavior, and an ability to apply multiple frameworks to the same phenomena. Offered in alternate years. (Same course as Environmental Science and Policy 212A.)—III. Sabatier

212B. Environmental Policy Evaluation (4)

Lecture—1 hour; discussion—1 hour; seminar—2 hours. Prerequisite: intermediate microeconomics (e.g., Economics 100); Statistics 108 or Agricultural and Resource Economics 106; policy analysis (e.g., Environmental Studies 168A or the equivalent); Agricultural and Resource Economics 176. Methods and practices of policy analysis; philosophical and intellectual bases of policy analysis and the political role of policy analysis. (Same course as Environmental Science and Policy 212B.) Offered in alternate years.—II.

213. Population, Environment, and Social Structure (4)

Seminar—3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: at least one course in population or human ecology, or in environment and resources. Relationships among population dynamics, resource scarcity and environmental problems, and social structure; focus on demographic content of global ecological models and simulations, ecological content of modern demographic theories, and debates about scarcity, inequality, and social conflict and change. Offered in alternate years.—III.

214. Marine Ecology: Concepts and Practice (3)

Lecture—1 hour; discussion—1.5 hours; fieldwork—1.5 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing or one course in ecology, one course in evolution or genetics, consent of instructor; survey course in marine ecology recommended. Critical review and analysis of concepts and practices in modern marine ecology at the interface of several fields of study including oceanography, evolution, behavior, and physiology. Emphasis on critical thinking, problem solving, and hands-on study. Three field trips required. Offered in alternate years.—III. Morgan, Stachowicz

216. Ecology and Agriculture (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Plant Biology 142 or consent of instructor. Ecological principles and relationships as applied to agriculture. Integration of ecological approaches into agricultural research to develop environmentally sound management practices. Topics include crop autoecology, biotic interactions among crops and pests, and crops systems ecology. Not open for credit to students who have completed Vegetable Crops 216 (Former course Vegetable Crops 216).—I. (I.) Jackson

217. Conservation and Sustainable Development in Third World Nations (4)

Lecture/discussion—3 hours; fieldwork—2 hours. Prerequisite: at least one course from two of these three groups: (a) Environmental Studies 160, 161, 168A, 168B; (b) Environmental Studies 101, 133, International Agricultural Development 103, Geography 142; (c) Anthropology 126, 131, Geography 141, Sociology 144, 145A, 145B. Examination of the patterns of resource ownership, control and management in agricultural lands, extractive zones (fisheries, forests) and wildlands, with emphases on conservation and sustainability. Comparison of industrial democracies and poorer nations. (Same course as International Agricultural Development 217.) Offered in alternate years.—Orlove

219. Ecosystem Biogeochemistry (4)

Lecture—3 hours; laboratory/discussion—2 hours. Prerequisite: introductory courses in ecology/biology and soils are recommended; undergraduates accepted with consent of instructor. Multi-disciplinary analysis of energy and nutrient transfers within terrestrial ecosystems. Examination of processes and inter- and intra-system interactions between the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere. Laboratory section uses biogeochemical simulation models to examine case studies. (Same course as Soil Science 219.) Offered in alternate years.—III. Dahlgren

220. Spatio-Temporal Ecology (2)

Lecture/discussion—2 hours. Prerequisite: Population Biology 200B or course 204 or Evolution and Ecology 104 or Environmental Science and Policy 121 or consent of instructor. Spatio-temporal ecological theory focusing on population persistence and stability, predator-prey and host-parasitoid interactions, species coexistence and diversity maintenance, including effects of environmental variation, spatial and temporal scale, life-history traits and nonlinear dynamics. Topics vary. (Same course as Population Biology 220.) May be repeated once for credit. (S/U grading only.)—II.

222. Human Ecology of Agriculture (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: upper division course work in environmental sciences, cultural anthropology, economics, international agricultural development or sociology, or consent of instructor. Social and cultural factors relating to agricultural adaptation and evolution. Ethnobiological knowledge systems, rules and customs of resource allocation, impact of population growth, technological change, states and markets. Social and cultural contexts of biological diversity and agricultural resource conservation.—I. Brush

225. Terrestrial Field Ecology (4)

Seminar—1 hour; field work—12 hours. Prerequisite: introductory ecology and introductory statistics or consent of instructor. A field course conducted over spring break and four weekends at Bodega Bay, emphasizing student projects. Ecological hypothesis testing, data gathering, analysis, and written and oral presentation of results will be stressed. (Same course as Entomology 225/Population Biology 225.)—III. (III.) Karban

231. Mathematical Methods in Population Biology (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Mathematics 16C or 21C or the equivalent. Mathematical methods used in population biology. Linear and nonlinear difference equation and differential equation models are studied, using stability analysis and qualitative methods. Partial differential equation models are introduced. Applications to population biology models are stressed. (Same course as Population Biology 231.)—I. (I.) Hastings

232. Theoretical Ecology (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 204 or the equivalent, and Mathematics 16C or 21C; or one of courses 100 or 121 or Evolution and Ecology 101, and a strong mathematics background (Mathematics 22A-22B-22C or the equivalent). Examination of major conceptual and methodological issues in theoretical ecology. Model formulation and development will be emphasized. Topics will vary from year to year. May be repeated for credit. Offered in alternate years.—(II.) Hastings

242. Ecological Genetics: Applied Genetics for Ecology, Health, and Conservation of Natural Populations (3)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—0.5 hours; laboratory—0.5 hours. Prerequisite: undergraduate genetics and ecology/conservation biology courses recommended. Introduction to the field of applied ecological genetics to include applications in conservation ecology, population genetics, population biology, wildlife health and disease ecology. Limited enrollment. (Same course as Population Health and Reproduction 242.)—I. (I.) Ernest

280. Current Anthropology Journal Editorial Workshop (4)

Workshop—1 hour; independent study—3 hours. Students must enroll for all three quarters. Reading and offering workshop critiques of manuscripts submitted for publication, and reading and discussion of other relevant work in anthropology and human ecology. Track and edit published comments and authors’ replies that accompany major features. Participation in the development of new sections for the electronic edition of the journal, including a “news and views” section and a debate section. (Same course as Anthropology 280.) May be repeated for 12 units of credit with consent of instructor. (S/U grading only.)—I, II, III. Orlove

290. Seminar in Ecology (1-4)

Seminar—1-4 hours. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Topics in biological, human, physical, and chemical ecology. Students are expected to present an oral seminar on a particular aspect of the general topic under consideration. (S/U grading only.)—I, II, III. (I, II, III.)

296. Topics in Ecology and Evolution (1)

Seminar—1 hour. Prerequisite: graduate standing. Seminars presented by visiting lecturers, UC Davis faculty, and graduate students. May be repeated for credit. (Same course as Population Biology 292.) (S/U grading only.)—I, II, III. (I, II, III.)

297T. Tutoring in Ecology (1-4)

Lecture—1 hour; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: graduate standing in ecology; consent of instructor. Teaching ecology including conducting discussion groups for regular departmental courses under direct guidance of staff. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)

298. Group Study (1-5)

(S/U grading only.)

299. Research (1-12)

Prerequisite: graduate standing. (S/U grading only.)