Evolution

In previous lectures, we have discussed about the physical environment and biomes. Let's dig a little deeper, where do all these plants come from and how they cope with the changing environment?

Although this course is an introduction to ecology, there are many overlapping concepts and topics with evolution and possibly require some knowledge of evolution to better understand ecology.  In this section, you will learn to define evolution and adaptation, be fluent in basic evolutionary terminology and ideas, as well as understanding  how coping with stress can lead to a variety of responses across scales. 

Refer to chapters 18-20 of Biology  and chapter 11 of Concepts of Biology from OpenStax for background reading. To further explore the contents of this section, learn what determines species diversity, how researchers came about understanding why there is such a high rate of twins born in a southern Brazilian town, watch the evolution of animal genitalia, how antibiotic resistance evolved, how many residents of one island became color blind, as well as an oyster inventor and his quest.