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DAT Prep/Biology/Evolution and Ecology

Browse course topics

Evolution

Early Earth and hypotheses for the origin of life Fossils and geological dating Anatomical, embryological, biogeographical, and molecular evidence Darwin, descent with modification, and natural selection Fitness, adaptation, and environmental selection pressures Directional, stabilizing, and disruptive selection Balancing selection and heterozygote advantage Sexual selection Mutation, gene flow, and genetic drift Founder and bottleneck effects Hardy–Weinberg assumptions Hardy–Weinberg calculations Species concepts and reproductive isolation Allopatric and sympatric speciation Hybrid zones and reinforcement Adaptive radiation, convergent evolution, and coevolution Gradualism, punctuated equilibrium, and extinction Molecular clocks and interpreting phylogenetic relationships

Animal behavior

Proximate versus ultimate explanations Innate behavior, fixed-action patterns, and imprinting Habituation, conditioning, and observational learning Foraging behavior and optimal-foraging theory Migration, orientation, navigation, and biological rhythms Visual, auditory, chemical, and tactile communication Mating systems and parental investment Territoriality, dominance, and social behavior Altruism, inclusive fitness, kin selection, and reciprocal altruism

Population ecology

Levels of ecological organization and ecological methods Population density, dispersion, and sampling Exponential and logistic population growth Carrying capacity and density-dependent regulation Survivorship curves and life tables Life-history strategies and reproductive tradeoffs Metapopulations and source-sink dynamics

Community ecology

Habitat, ecological niche, and resource partitioning Interspecific and intraspecific competition Predation, herbivory, and defense Parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism Competitive exclusion and character displacement Keystone species and trophic cascades Primary and secondary succession Disturbance, stability, resistance, and resilience

Ecosystem ecology

Food chains, food webs, and trophic levels Ecological pyramids and the approximately 10% energy-transfer rule Primary and secondary productivity Decomposition and nutrient limitation Water cycle Carbon cycle Nitrogen cycle Phosphorus cycle

Biomes, global change, and conservation

Climate, latitude, elevation, and terrestrial biome distribution Tropical forests, savannas, deserts, and chaparral Temperate forests, grasslands, taiga, and tundra Lakes, wetlands, rivers, estuaries, and oceans Greenhouse effect and climate change Pollution, eutrophication, biomagnification, and habitat fragmentation Invasive species and loss of biodiversity Conservation biology, protected areas, and population restoration Integrated evolution, behavior, population, community, and ecosystem problems

Topics

Habitat, ecological niche, and resource partitioning Interspecific and intraspecific competition Predation, herbivory, and defense Parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism Competitive exclusion and character displacement Keystone species and trophic cascades Primary and secondary succession Disturbance, stability, resistance, and resilience

Community ecology

Keystone species and trophic cascades

Summary

Practice Questions

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