BIOL 425 - Macroevolution: Understanding Biodiversity Patterns in Space and Time

FC NSMA WADV

4 credits
Macroevolution is the study of processes that occur at or above the species level, seeking to understand broad biodiversity patterns across time, space, and clades. Students will help lead discussion of readings from the primary literature on topics across macroevolution and macroecology, including diversification rates, biogeography, and major evolutionary transitions. We will also emphasize understanding and applying methods used in these fields, where the processes of interest often play out over millions of years and cannot be observed directly. Students will practice using R to perform analyses and write up results in the form of a research paper.

Prerequisites: BIOL 210 and 211.