STME5245 MOLECULAR ECOLOGY

Molecular ecology is a developing field that extends the boundaries of ecological genetics as it uses molecular and cellular biological tools to address questions involving ecological process, and/or different aspects of populations and communities at a level that previously could not be addressed. This course will, therefore, examine what molecular ecology is and is not, and how it is currently being used to develop a deeper understanding of variations in the protein, RNA and DNA of species, communities and populations, and how these are being used to study genetic diversity of species/communities/populations, genetic structure of populations, functional diversity within populations, roles of different populations in nutrient dynamics, genetic markers as indicators of moving or evolving populations, impacts of anthropogenic and natural disturbances on populations, plant and animal behaviors, and fundamentalquestions in ecology and evolution involving terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Course content will be delivered in a combination of lecture, readings and lab experiences over 3 hours per week.