BIOL 345 - Biodiversity: Evolutionary Ecology, Bioinformatics, and Conservation Biology

4 Credit(s)

This course facilitates students’ understanding and appreciation of (1) the incredible diversity of Earth’s biota, especially that found in neotropical Central and South American habitats in comparison to southeastern Pennsylvania; (2) the prodigious and intricate processes of evolutionary ecology from which this biodiversity emerges; (3) direct engagement in the measurement of biodiversity using methods of DNA barcoding and other bioinformatics methods; (4) engagement with the archiving and preservation of specimens at internationally recognized natural history museums in Philadelphia and Latin America; and (5) perspectives on human land use, development, and international efforts at conservation and management for biodiversity preservation spanning urban Chester, PA, and Latin America. Fulfills one interorganismal biology elective.
3 hours lab. 3 hours lecture,
Prerequisite(s): BIOL 161, BIOL 162 and BIOL 299; or permission of the instructor.