Graduate Courses

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
www.eeb.iastate.edu
(Interdepartmental Graduate Major)
Supervisory Committee: J. J. Obrycki, Chair;
D. Adams, H. Asbjomsen, G.W. Courtney,
J. H. Dekker, T.C. Harrington, M. S. Kaiser,
R.D. Maddux, J.D. Nason

The ecology and evolutionary biology interdepartmental major is offered through a faculty housed in seven departments of the university. Faculty from the departments of Agronomy, Ecology Evolution and Organismal Biology, Entomology,Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Mathematics, Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Plant Pathology, and Statistics cooperate to offer courses and research opportunities leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees with a major in ecology and evolutionary biology.

Applicants should have completed an undergraduate or master of science or arts degree in one of the biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or should have equivalent preparation. Students with degrees in the physical or mathematical sciences should have taken undergraduate courses in both basic ecology and evolution.

Students majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology may prepare themselves for careers focused on basic or applied ecology and evolutionary biology in a variety of settings, including academia, government, industry, and private organizations. For example, graduates often work in wetland restoration and management, conservation of biodiversity and ecological systems, natural resource and wildlife management, environmental analysis and management, forestry, and agriculture. Graduates have a broad understanding of ecology and evolutionary biology, have had experiences designing and conducting research, writing grant proposals, and communicating effectively with scientific colleagues at meetings and by writing publications.
The ecology and evolutionary biology major is designed for students interested in the study of mechanisms controlling the composition, structure, and functional processes of ecological systems and the mechanisms that regulate the pattern and rate of evolutionary change within and among species. Cooperating departments offer courses in physiological, population, community, ecosystem, restoration, and landscape ecology; aquatic and wetland ecology; forest ecology; agroecology; wildlife and resource management; systematics; phylogenetics and genetics; and population evolution. In addition, interdisciplinary courses in ecology and evolution are offered, including a special topics course, a seminar, and an extended field trip.
Information on application procedures, research interests of the faculty, and specific requirements of the major can be obtained from the chair of the supervisory committee.

Courses for Graduate Students
EEB 585. Extended Field Trip. (0-6) Cr. 2 each time taken. F.S. Prereq: Graduate classification. Annual field trip to a region of North America to study the major terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem types of the region. Report required.

EEB 590. Special Topics. Cr. 1 to 3 each time taken. Prereq: Graduate classification and permission of instructor.

EEB 698. Seminar. (1-0) Cr. 1 each time taken. F.S. Reports and discussion of recent research and literature.

EEB 699. Research.

Courses Offered by the Organization for Tropical Studies
ISU graduate students can take courses through the widely recognized Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) at field sites in Central and South America. Students register for OTS courses and upon successful completion, receive credit from Duke University which transfers as either OTS 510 or OTS 515. For further information about OTS courses, see www.ots.duke.edu or inquire at 201 Bessey.

OTS 510. Tropical Biology: An Ecological Approach. Cr. 8. This course is designed for students in the early stages of graduate study in biology or a related field, with the goal of training graduate students in research methods by providing intensive field experience in diverse tropical ecosystems.

OTS 515. Topics in Tropical Biology. Cr. 1-8. This course is designated for students enrolled in graduate course offerings through OTS(excluding OTS 510). Examples of graduate courses offered by OTS include Tropical Plant Systematics, Tropical Ecology and Conservation, and Tropical Agroecology.

(For information regarding undergraduate courses offered by OTS see Index, Organization for Tropical Studies.)