DR. NICHOLS' COURSES

FNR 241: Ecology and Systematics of Fishes and Mammals
(Fishes section) Introduction to the ecology and systematics of fishes and mammals. Overview of the evolutionary adaptations and ecological processes of these vertebrate groups at the individual, population, and community levels. Examines the roles of phylogeny, physiology, morphology, and behavior in influencing organismal responses to the environment. Conservation issues of fishes and mammals are also presented. [Fall]

BIOL 286: Introduction to Ecology and Evolution
(Evolution section) Evolutionary processes and ecological principles associated with individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems. Topics include genetic drift, natural selection, adaptation, life tables, population dynamics, competition, predation, biodiversity, and ecological stability, with emphasis on natural systems. [Spring]

BIOL695R/FNR 693A: Evolutionary Quantitative Genetics
The course will cover basic quantitative genetic theory and concepts in the evolution of quantitative traits. Basic concepts will include heritability, genetic variance/covariance components of continous traits, response to artificial selection, and quantitative trait loci analyses. Advanced topics such as the evolution of quantitative and correlated characters, phenotypic plasticity, and sex-related effects on quantitative variation will also be covered. [Spring]