Handbook

BIOS3171 is a project-based course covering the core concepts and research techniques of modern evolutionary biology, including natural selection, evolutionary genetics, macroevolution, and applications of evolutionary ideas to practical questions such as human health. For their major assessment, students develop and carry out an independent research project, typically involving data collection during a 5-day field-trip to Smith's Lake Field Research Station. Students then analyse their data, and write a manuscript in the style of a scientific research paper. Students also engage with pre-recorded lectures and attend in-person tutorials, which are designed to help students acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to carry out their independent project, and to familiarize students with the key ideas and approaches used in evolutionary biology.

Assumed Knowledge: BIOS2011 Evolutionary and Physiological Ecology