Undergraduate Course: Evolutionary Ecology of Life Histories (ZLGY10027)

Course Outline
School	School of Biological Sciences	College	College of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate)	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	10	ECTS Credits	5
Summary	The natural world contains an enormous diversity of life histories: animals and plants show dramatic variation in fecundity, longevity, investment in offspring, ageing rates, mating systems and much more. This course will show how core principles in evolutionary ecology can be used to understand this variation. We will consider how evolutionary and ecological processes shape life histories, covering natural and sexual selection, the genetic basis of phenotypic variation, phenotypic plasticity, senescence and sex allocation. Two common themes underlying these issues are the role of trade-offs between different components of fitness, and the interaction with environmental conditions. Examples will be drawn from a range of animal and plant systems. Teaching will be by lectures introducing key topics and student-led discussion sessions at which students will give short presentations on selected papers.
Course description	Not entered

Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered

Learning Outcomes
Students will gain an understanding of core principles of evolutionary ecology and how they can illuminate biological variation, as in life histories.