Environmental Biology

This course provides a brief introduction to ecology, evolution and environmental biology with an emphasis on key concepts, current research, and opportunities for undergraduates. The course is taught jointly by the faculty in the department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology (E3B), with each session covering a different aspect of research and/or teaching in the department. Students are expected to complete weekly readings and participate in discussion both in class and online.

Prerequisites: Corequisite EEEB UN1111 Study of non-human primate behavior from the perspective of phylogeny, adaptation, physiology and anatomy, and life history. Focuses on the four main problems primates face: finding appropriate food, avoiding being eaten themselves, reproducing in the face of competition, and dealing with social partners. Along with Human Origins - Evolution, this serves as a core required class for the EBHS program.

Prerequisites: EEEB UN2001 Second semester of introductory biology sequence for majors in enviromnental biology and environmental science, emphasizing the ecological and evolutionary aspects of biology. Also intended for those interested in an introduction to the principles of ecology and evolutionary biology.

Prerequisites: Science majors should have completed one introductory course that covers biology, ecology, evolution or conservation priort to taking this course. Non-science majors should have some exposure to these same topics but are not required to have taken courses in advance of this class.

Guided, independent, indepth research experience culminating in the senior essay. Weekly meetings are held to review work in progress, to share results through oral and written reports, and to consider career options for further work in this field.

Prerequisites: the instructors permission and senior standing as a major in The Evolutionary Biology of the Human Species (EBHS). Year-long seminar in which senior EBHS majors develop a research project and write a senior thesis. Regular meetings are held to discuss research and writing strategies, review work in progress, and share results through oral and written reports.

Students conduct research in environmental biology under supervision of a faculty mentor. The topic and scope of the research project must be approved before the student registers for the course.

Students conduct research in environmental biology under supervision of a faculty mentor. The topic and scope of the research project must be approved before the student registers for the course.

This course builds on an introductory course in statistics and dives deeper into linear regression models, including generalized linear models, mixed/hierarchical models, model diagnostics, and model selection. It focuses on the practical applications of these methods rather than the mathematical complexities. A prior course or equivalent knowledge of fundamental concepts in statistics as well as familiarity with R programming are required pre-requisites for this course.

Prerequisites: SDEV W3390 or EESC W4050 or the instructors permission. This class provides basic theory in landscape analysis and training in methods for analyzing landscapes, focusing on interpretation of satellite images. The class covers approaches and definitions in landscape analysis, data sources, land cover classification, change detection, accuracy assessment, projections of future land cover change, and techniques to interpret results of these analyses. Students will obtain hands-on experience working with data from a landscape related to his/her research or a landscape chosen by the instructors.

Humans, like other animals, have evolved strategies of parental care, which include traits and trade-offs that enhance development and survival of offspring at the expense of parents. This course addresses questions such as: Why do we care for offspring? What physiological and genetic mechanisms underlie parental behavior? What drives variation in parental care strategies? We will analyze the diverse array of social and  mating systems along with parental care strategies, focusing on primates including humans.

What are the sources and mechanisms of diversity of behavior among individuals and between species and how does behavior evolve at genetic, molecular, and neuronal levels? Readings will span an arc from an introduction to ethology and animal behavior, through studies of animal behavior in nature and in the laboratory, followed by how animals interact with their physicochemical and social environments, and ending with a perspective on the diversity and evolution of animal behavior.

This course explores the history, nature and underlying causes of human/wildlife conflict from the human perspective. We will emphasize areas of human and wildlife conflict that endanger the existence of wildlife species in significant portions of their range, and consider emerging strategies that may reduce human-wildlife conflict.

Prerequisites: EEEB G4850. Incoming M.A. students aiming for the thesis-based program are guided through the process of defining a research question, finding an advisor, and preparing a research proposal. By the end of the semester the students will have a written research proposal to submit to potential advisors for revision. Subject to a positive review of the research proposal, students are allowed to continue with the thesis-based program and will start working with their advisor. The course will also provide an opportunity to develop basic skills that will facilitate the reminder of the students stay at E3B and will help in their future careers.

Human-caused global change is increasing the need for forecasts and projections of ecological dynamics under a wide range of plausible future conditions. Systems modeling provides a powerful approach for understanding ecological change at individual-organism to global scales and has a rich history in ecology. However, training in systems modeling is not widely available. This course provides basic theory of terrestrial systems modeling and will prepare students to begin to integrate systems modeling into their own research. The course addresses the foundations and history of systems modeling, surveys the state of the science, and introduces students to frontiers in systems modeling. Paper readings will cover a wide range of ecological topics, including forest ecology, biogeochemical cycling, climate change, animal movement, and human land use and land cover change. The course will consist of one seminar per week that will be made up of a few lectures, discussion of assigned readings, and student presentations.

Lectures cover principal topics in evolutionary biology including genetics, genome organization, population and quantitative genetics, the history of evolutionary theory, systematics, speciation and species concepts, co-evolution, and biogeography.

This one-credit seminar is designed for PhD students from any department in any school at Columbia University. We will read contemporary literature and examine case studies on designing, conducting, and communicating research projects that contribute to solutions to climate change and related problems of the Anthropocene. PhD students will have the opportunity to share their research and reflect on how it might contribute to solutions.

Prerequisites: degree in biological sciences. Lectures by visiting scientists, faculty, and students; specific biological research projects; with emphasis on evolution, ecology, and conservation biology.

Prerequisites: biology, ecology, genetics, and evolution. Introduction to the applied science of maintaining the earths biological diversity, its landscapes, and wilderness. Focus on the biological principles relevant to the conservation of biodiversity at the genetic, population, and community and landscape levels.