Molecular Ecology, 15 credits

Many interesting ecological issues can currently be addressed solely with the aid of molecular methods. This course in molecular ecology will describe several such issues. Various genetic markers are used, for example, to map phylogenic structures and to analyse problems of conservation biology, such as inbreeding. The course will also deal with how stable isotopes can be used to analyse the diet and metabolism of animals. The analysis of hormones can be very informative in several issues of behavioural ecology. The course will be given March - June.