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Principles of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior

Yale,, Spring 2009 , Prof. Stephen C. Stearns

Updated On 02 Feb, 19

Overview

The Nature of Evolution: Selection, Inheritance, and History - Basic Transmission Genetics - Adaptive Evolution: Natural Selection - Neutral Evolution: Genetic Drift - How Selection Changes the Genetic Composition of Population - The Origin and Maintenance of Genetic Variation - The Importance of Development in Evolution - The Expression of Variation: Reaction Norms - The Evolution of Sex - Genomic Conflict - Life History Evolution - Sex Allocation - Sexual Selection - Species and Speciation - Phylogeny and Systematics - Comparative Methods: Trees, Maps, and Traits - Key Events in Evolution - Major Events in the Geological Theatre - The Fossil Record and Life's History - Coevolution - Evolutionary Medicine - The Impact of Evolutionary Thought on the Social Sciences - The Logic of Science - Climate and the Distribution of Life on Earth - Interactions with the Physical Environment - Population Growth: Density Effects - Interspecific Competition - Ecological Communities - Island Biogeography and Invasive Species - Energy and Matter in Ecosystems - Why So Many Species? The Factors Affecting Biodiversity - Economic Decisions for the Foraging Individual - Evolutionary Game Theory: Fighting and Contests - Mating Systems and Parental Care - Alternative Breeding Strategies - Selfishness and Altruism

Includes

Lecture 11: Life History Evolution

4.1 ( 11 )


Lecture Details

Principles of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior (EEB 122)

Life history covers three main classes of traits in organisms age and size at maturity, number and size of offspring, and lifespan and reproductive investment. Organisms must make tradeoffs among these traits that typically cause them to come to evolutionary equilibrium at intermediate values. Life history traits are evolutionary solutions to the ecological problems of the risk of mortality and the acquisition of food, and they are expressed in reaction norms that determine the particular traits that an organism will exhibit when its genes encounter a specific environment during development.

0000 - Chapter 1. Introduction
0453 - Chapter 2. Life History and the History of Ideas
0856 - Chapter 3. Age and Size at Maturity
2338 - Chapter 4. Size and Number of Babies
3149 - Chapter 5. Lifespan and Aging
4232 - Chapter 6. Summary

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website httpopen.yale.educourses

This course was recorded in Spring 2009.

Ratings

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Comments
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Sam

Excellent course helped me understand topic that i couldn't while attendinfg my college.

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Dembe

Great course. Thank you very much.

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