Akhila Gopal

Open, Seminar—Spring

BIOL 3162

Biodiversity loss. Climate change. Habitat fragmentation. Invasive species. Global ecosystems are being altered in dramatic ways due to human activities. To address these challenges, we first need to understand them scientifically. This course will explore the impacts of global environmental change through the lens of the biological sciences. Will rising global temperatures lead to unexpected species interactions, like hybridization between polar bears and grizzly bears? How are invasive predators like Burmese pythons in Florida affecting mammal populations? How does the extensive use of fertilizers upstream in a large river affect biological communities downstream? How has overfishing altered marine biodiversity? How could urbanization and habitat loss alter the risk of disease spillover from wildlife to humans? We will use scientific journal articles and other primary sources to address these kinds of questions in this seminar course. 

Faculty

Akhila Gopal

Open, Seminar—Fall

BIOL 3201

Vertebrates inhabit nearly every environment on Earth, from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains, yet they all face many of the same fundamental biological challenges. They must obtain energy, move through their environments, maintain internal balance, perceive and respond to the world around them, reproduce, and survive changing environmental conditions. Throughout evolutionary history, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals have evolved remarkably different solutions to these shared challenges. Rather than surveying vertebrates one taxonomic group at a time, this seminar will take a comparative approach to vertebrate biology by exploring the common biological problems that all vertebrates must solve. Using examples from across the vertebrate tree of life, we will examine how anatomy, physiology, behavior, ecology, and evolution interact to shape the extraordinary diversity of vertebrate life. Topics will include energy acquisition, locomotion, homeostasis, sensory biology, behavior, reproduction, environmental adaptation, ecological interactions, and the impacts of global environmental change. Readings will combine textbook chapters from Vertebrate Life with primary scientific literature, popular science writing (including selections from An Immense World), documentaries, and other multimedia resources. Through seminar discussions, individual conferences, and student-led presentations, students will develop the skills to interpret scientific research, think comparatively across taxa, and communicate biological ideas effectively.

Faculty

Akhila Gopal