Organisms, Adaptation & Diversity

This course centers on the question: How do organisms solve the problems of survival, and how are the solutions that have evolved influenced by the environment? Students will examine how observed similarities and differences in organismal structure and function relate to environmental pressures, as well as studying how these observations can be used to construct a logical theory of evolutionary relationships between different organisms. In addition, the complex interactions that have developed between different organisms and between organisms and their environment will be examined. Three lectures and one 2-hour lab per week. This course is designed for science majors and those planning careers in the health sciences. Meets Core credit for natural sciences. Offered each semester.