Teaching Archive

BIO 263 Ecology. This course is a survey of the field of ecology, including population distributions, population abundances, communities, and ecosystems. Topics include ecophysiology and adaptations to the physical environment; dynamics of natural populations; interactions between species; succession and community structure; ecosystem productivity and nutrient cycles; and human impacts on the environment.

BIO 263 course website (password protected)

BIO 264 Ecological Communities. This course is a survey of ecological communities in eastern North America, with emphasis on field sampling methods, indicator species, common species assemblages, ordination analysis, anthropogenic and natural disturbances, ecological succession, and community conservation. This is a hands-on, field-focused course that travels to natural habitats across Monroe County, including beech-maple forests, oak-hickory woodlands, and ash-silver maple swamplands.

BIO 225 Laboratory in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. This intensive lab course emphasizes development of testable questions and implementation of observations and experiments in natural populations. Most projects involve organisms native to New York. Students will gain experience in field and lab methods, critiquing published studies, writing scientific reports, and presenting results.

BIO 198 Genetics. This course is a survey of classical, molecular, and evolutionary genetics. Methods of genetic analysis are emphasized. Major topics include Mendelian assortment, recombination, aneuploidy/polyploidy, gene mutation, DNA structure and function, gene expression, recombinant DNA technology, as well as selected topics in quantitative genetics and population genetics.

BIO 472 Advanced Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. This is a graduate-level course taught on a rotation basis by EEB faculty in the Department of Biology. When instructed by the Ramsey lab, the course is split between outdoor field and indoor classroom sessions, and emphasizes field sampling approaches, experimental design, and statistical methods; demography and population models; the nature and structure of communities; and regional natural history.

Plant Ecology & Evolution journal club (“P.E.E.”). The Ramsey lab sponsors P.E.E., a journal club that meets weekly most semesters to discuss recently published and classical studies of plant ecology, evolution, and systematics. By tradition, we usually meet Thursdays at 4:00PM in Hutchison 316. Reading topics vary by semester; please contact Justin Ramsey for more information.