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Evolution, Ecology and Behavior - Video

by Stephen C. Stearns

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Latest episodes

35 - Alternative Breeding Strategies

October 27, 2009 · 0 min

Breeding strategies differ both among males and females of the same species as well as among different species. The difference in breeding strategies among members of the same species can usually be linked to frequency dependence. If the…
36 - Selfishness and Altruism

October 27, 2009 · 0 min

Originally, altruism and self-sacrifice were thought to be incompatible with natural selection, even by Darwin. Now we have several explanations for how altruism can increase an individual's fitness. One is kin selection, or the idea that…
34 - Mating Systems and Parental Care

October 27, 2009 · 0 min

Mating systems and parental care vary tremendously from species to species. Every species differs in how it protects its young from predators and provides its young with food, if it does so at all. The physical environment as well as…
33 - Evolutionary Game Theory: Fighting and Contests

October 27, 2009 · 0 min

The economic concept of game theory can be readily applied to evolution and behavior. By analyzing encounters between organisms as a mathematical "game," important information such as fitness payoffs and the proportions of "strategies"…
32 - Economic Decisions for the Foraging Individual

October 27, 2009 · 0 min

There are several ways to examine the behaviors of organisms when they forage or hunt for food or mates. These behaviors become more complex in higher organisms, such as primates and whales, which can hunt in groups. Foragers and hunters…

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31 - Why So Many Species? The Factors Affecting Biodiversity

October 27, 2009 · 0 min

One can look at biodiversity from several perspectives. An ecological point of view tries to determine how necessary diversity is for an ecosystem to function. An economic point of view tries to capture the value of the "services" nature…
30 - Energy and Matter in Ecosystems

October 27, 2009 · 0 min

The movement of matter and energy around the planet is very important, and its study draws on geology, and meterology in addition to chemistry. Energy tends to flow upwards from plantlike producers to herbivores to carnivores before being…
29 - Island Biogeography and Invasive Species

October 27, 2009 · 0 min

Geography is very important in ecology. Two major systems have been designed to model this, island biogeography and metapopulations. The idea of metapopulations is more recent, and has emerged as the dominant theory. Metapopulations are…
28 - Ecological Communities

October 27, 2009 · 0 min

The idea of ecological communities has changed tremendously over the past 40 years. The classical view stated that there were so many different species because evolution packed them tightly into the available niches. The modern view…
27 - Interspecific Competition

October 27, 2009 · 0 min

Competition among species, or inter-specific competition, can have an even greater effect on selection than competition within species (intra-specific competition). This is often the case in lower density populations. Different species can…
26 - Population Growth: Density Effects

October 27, 2009 · 0 min

The growth of populations is held in check by several factors. These can include predators, food and other resources, and density. Population density affects growth rate by determining how likely is it that an organism will interact with a…
25 - Interactions with the Physical Environment

October 27, 2009 · 0 min

Every species on earth has an environmental range in which it can live. Usually it flourishes in the central portion of this range. Organisms contain a host of adaptations that allow them to manipulate their environments to remain within…

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About the show

(EEB 122) This course presents the principles of evolution, ecology, and behavior for students beginning their study of biology and of the environment. It discusses major ideas and results in a manner accessible to all Yale College undergraduates. Recent advances have energized these fields with results that have implications well beyond their boundaries: ideas, mechanisms, and processes that should form part of the toolkit of all biologists and educated citizens. This course was recorded in Spring 2009.