General: The primary objectives of this course are to give students (a) a strong foundation in the ecological questions and issues that can be addressed with a molecular approach, and (b) a working knowledge of the molecular tools necessary to address those issues. In this course we will focus primarily on the use of molecular markers to study the ecological causes and consequences of population structure as well as phenomena as diverse as life history strategies and symbiosis. Through a number of mini-projects, students will be introduced to analytical tools, including recently developed computer software. Finally, the lectures will provide students with an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of the ecological questions and molecular tools. This course will be question-oriented, in the sense that a hypothesis-testing approach will be emphasized, and will give students practice choosing molecular techniques most appropriate to the research questions at hand. 

Meeting Time & Place: Wed. & Fri, 1:00-4:50, H210 (Lecture) & H231 (Lab)