Lectures (Video)
- 1. The Nature of Evolution: Selection, Inheritance, and History
- 2. Basic Transmission Genetics
- 3. Adaptive Evolution: Natural Selection
- 4. Neutral Evolution: Genetic Drift
- 5. How Selection Changes the Genetic Composition of Population
- 6. The Origin and Maintenance of Genetic Variation
- 7. The Importance of Development in Evolution
- 8. The Expression of Variation: Reaction Norms
- 9. The Evolution of Sex
- 10. Genomic Conflict
- 11. Life History Evolution
- 12. Sex Allocation
- 13. Sexual Selection
- 14. Species and Speciation
- 15. Phylogeny and Systematics
- 16. Comparative Methods: Trees, Maps, and Traits
- 17. Key Events in Evolution
- 18. Major Events in the Geological Theatre
- 19. The Fossil Record and Life's History
- 20. Coevolution
- 21. Evolutionary Medicine
- 22. The Impact of Evolutionary Thought on the Social Sciences
- 23. The Logic of Science
- 24. Climate and the Distribution of Life on Earth
- 25. Interactions with the Physical Environment
- 26. Population Growth: Density Effects
- 27. Interspecific Competition
- 28. Ecological Communities
- 29. Island Biogeography and Invasive Species
- 30. Energy and Matter in Ecosystems
- 31. The Factors Affecting Biodiversity
- 32. Economic Decisions for the Foraging Individual
- 33. Evolutionary Game Theory: Fighting and Contests
- 34. Mating Systems and Parental Care
- 35. Alternative Breeding Strategies
- 36. Selfishness and Altruism
Principles of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior - Lecture 28
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Lecture 28 - Ecological Communities
The idea of ecological communities has changed tremendously over the past forty years. The classical view stated that there were so many different species because evolution packed them tightly into the available niches. The modern view emphasizes the idea of trophic cascades, or top-down control in food chains. This emphasized the importance of predation in ecology, although it downplayed the significance of food webs, which showed the interrelated nature of ecosystems better than simple food chains.
Prof. Stephen C. Stearns
EEB 122: Principles of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, Spring 2009 (Yale University: Open Yale) http://oyc.yale.edu Date accessed: 2009-11-18 License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA |
