Course Overview - Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with each other and with their environment. Ecologists use these interactions to explain patterns of where organisms live, how many organisms can be supported by an ecosystem, and how biodiversity and other factors affect ecosystems function. In this course, we’ll explore these ideas at multiple levels (cellular-molecular, individuals, populations, ecosystems, and globally) through lectures, labs, and fieldwork. We’ll also connect ecology to real-world issues such as habitat fragmentation, climate change, biodiversity, and sustainability. Major topics include evolution, physiology, life history, behavior, population growth, competition, predation, community dynamics, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem function.