This course provides students with a broad understanding of population biology and evolution, key to grasping biological diversity, population dynamics, extinctions, and species interactions. It sets a foundation for advanced study in population biology and evolution, such as in bachelor's or master's projects. Key topics include population growth and decline models, population extinction, intraspecific and interspecific competition, predation, parasitism, adaptive and neutral evolution, natural selection, genetic variation, life-history evolution, sexual selection, speciation, and coevolution. This course prepares students to critically analyse and understand complex biological phenomena through the lens of population biology and evolutionary theory.
The teaching team from PopBio includes Owen Jones and Thomas B. Berg.
This course is designed to deepen students' understanding of plant ecological theory and equip them with the skills to conduct terrestrial plant ecological field projects, which is crucial for understanding biodiversity drivers and performing academic or applied fieldwork. Building on previous biology coursework, it offers a solid foundation for bachelor’s or master's projects in plant ecology. The course aims to develop professional collaboration skills and the ability to conduct experimental research, critically assess biological theories, and tackle biological problems. Students will learn to identify plant species, design and interpret field studies in ecological theory and cover key topics like plant demography, life history, reproductive biology, population interactions, and plant ecology across various scales.
The teaching team from PopBio includes Johan Dahlgren.
In this course, participants engage in planning, executing, and analysing a biological field project, including literature review, hypothesis formulation, and results evaluation against existing knowledge. Research topics are selected based on relevant biological issues around the Biology Department's field stations, where practical activities occur. The course offers a comprehensive understanding of the research process, emphasising biological fieldwork principles and methods. It aims to develop competencies in implementing biological solutions, realising experimental research projects, and conducting experimental field investigations. Learning objectives include the ability to search and critically evaluate scientific literature, formulate hypotheses, design and conduct field investigations, analyse results, and discuss these in a scientific context. The course covers theory and planning, including topic selection and research planning based on literature and theory discussions. The practical component involves field and/or laboratory work culminating in writing a scientific manuscript aimed at a specific scientific journal. This hands-on approach provides a deep understanding of experimental investigations in biology.
The teaching team from PopBio includes Thomas B. Berg.
This course provides students with the skills for exploring, analysing, interpreting, and presenting biological data, building on prior mathematics and statistics knowledge. It's foundational for master's projects and individual studies, focusing on enhancing biological thinking, reasoning, and advanced research planning. Students will learn data science techniques, including data exploration, visualisation, and interpretation, quantitative analysis, critical evaluation of statistical analyses, and proficiency in R statistical software. Key learning objectives include formulating scientific questions in biology, designing studies, manipulating and visualising data, selecting and applying appropriate statistical methods, and presenting results effectively. The course covers designing data collection, data handling in R, regression models, statistical tests, model selection, and presentation techniques, equipping students for advanced data analysis in biological research.
This course focuses on species conservation, management, and welfare, aligning with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It covers the 6th mass extinction, biodiversity changes, and current extinction rates and introduces the SDGs. Key topics include various conservation approaches, critical thinking about biodiversity crises, stakeholder analysis, and debate on current conservation issues. The course features a field trip to Givskud Zoo and preparatory sessions with mandatory readings, building on previous knowledge from other courses. Students will learn about extinction, biodiversity, conservation organisations, wildlife trade, and the One Plan approach to conservation planning. The objective is to equip students with skills in species conservation concepts, critical analysis of conservation challenges, and understanding the importance of biodiversity in ecosystem services and economic sustainability.
The teaching team from PopBio includes Dalia Conde.
In this course, students engage in group project work within the natural sciences, developing skills in collaboration, communication, experience sharing, scientific methodology, planning and conducting fieldwork, and addressing scientific questions. The specific competencies gained depend on the chosen project, detailed in project descriptions. We typically run one or two projects within the general area of population biology each year for this course. The student groups plan and complete a project based on a clear scientific question, using IT tools like itslearning and MS Teams for collaboration and knowledge sharing. They write a report, create a poster, and conduct a thorough literature search for analysis and discussion. The course includes presenting the project at a poster conference and making an oral presentation. Students must also demonstrate the ability to discuss and motivate key aspects of the project during an oral exam.