Basic training in the measurement of function in animals, data analysis and expression, and the development of scientific communication skills.

Evolutionary biology is about uncovering the past, understanding the present, and predicting the future of animals, plants, and microbes. Is also offers insight into how scientific ideas change through time. This course covers natural selection and adaptation, phylogeny, population genetics and structure, origins and extinction of species, domestication, and evolutionary medicine. Additional topics may include human evolution and evolutionary impacts, biogeography, and social evolution, as well as the intersections between evolution, ecology and development.

Behavioral ecology is the evolution of animal behavior played out on the stage of ecology--why might a certain behavior be adaptive in a certain context? In this course, we will pursue in-depth, high-level explorations of the central topics of animal behavior, all through the lens of evolution. We will also focus heavily on improving reading, writing, and presentation skills.

This course examines the acoustic environment and how alterations to the acoustic environment from human activities and climate change result in permanent changes to animal behavior and the resulting soundscape. Focusing on using acoustics as a tool to monitor species and habitats, students will learn quantitative approaches and best practices for acoustic ecology investigations. Students will explore the emerging field of ecological acoustics through primary literature and hands-on, independent research in habitats surrounding UNH campus. This course is intended for advanced undergraduate or graduate students interested in animal behavior, ecology, wildlife and conservation biology, or zoology.