1. Ecosystems, Populations, and biodiversity SCI 7724

2. Case Study: Costa Rica Cloud forest

4. What is evolution, really?

5. Natural selection

6. Natural selection works on POPULATIONS

7. Evolution can generate biodiversity

8. What is speciation and how does it happen?

9. Population separation Allopatric speciation

13. Sympatric speciation

14. Phylogenetic trees

15. Mass extinction events Most extinction occurs gradually– background extinction rate Mass extinctions can wipe out 50-95% of biodiversity 65 mya- K-T event 250 mya- 75-95% of species extinct- volcano?

17. The sixth mass extinction http://www.well.com/~davidu/extinction.html

18. Levels of ecological organization Biosphere Ecosystem Community Population Individual

19. Niches What’s so important about niches?

20. Population size How is it calculated/estimated? Why is it important?

21. Population density How is it calculated/estimated? Why is it important?

22. Population distribution How is it calculated/estimated? Why is it important?

24. Sex ratios and age structure Why does it matter?

25. How populations change over time

26. Limiting factors and carrying capacity

27. R- and K-selected species

28. Conservation of Biodiversity Cloud forest

30. Interpreting graphs