CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

Prerequisites & course information

Requisites: Satisfied Quantitative Reasoning (QR) A and ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY/BOTANY 152 , BOTANY/BIOLOGY 130 , ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY 101 , BIOCORE 381 , or graduate/professional standing Course Designation: Core GenEd - Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning Comm QR - Quantitative Reasoning B Breadth - Biological Science Level - Advanced L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Fall 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Distinguish conservation biology from other scientific disciplines and describe its over-arching principles. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 2. Articulate many reasons why the conservation of biological diversity (at many levels) is important. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 3. Quantify biodiversity at the individual, population, and species level by applying various commonly used models and indices. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 4. Explain orally and in writing the principal threats to biodiversity, to both scientific and layperson audiences (habitat loss and fragmentation; industrial agriculture; climate change; overexploitation; invasive species; pollution) and the specific biological effects of these threats. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 5. Outline strategies to implement at the personal, local, and global scales for solving the biodiversity crisis. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 6. Critically analyze, apply, and communicate recommendations for changing personal behaviors to mitigate the biodiversity and climate crises. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 7. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of various conservation strategies or policy approaches. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 8. Synthesize multiple investigations of conservation strategies to assess trade‐offs and synergies among them. Audience: Graduate 9. Make science‐based recommendations for the appropriate conservation approach or strategy for a given situation. Audience: Graduate 10. Manipulate quantitative data using multi-step arguments to evaluate, interpret, and express solutions to problems in biodiversity estimation, population monitoring, and genetics in the context of conservation. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad Learning Outcomes: 1. Distinguish conservation biology from other scientific disciplines and describe its over-arching principles. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 2. Articulate many reasons why the conservation of biological diversity (at many levels) is important. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 3. Quantify biodiversity at the individual, population, and species level by applying various commonly used models and indices. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 4. Explain orally and in writing the principal threats to biodiversity, to both scientific and layperson audiences (habitat loss and fragmentation; industrial agriculture; climate change; overexploitation; invasive species; pollution) and the specific biological effects of these threats. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 5. Outline strategies to implement at the personal, local, and global scales for solving the biodiversity crisis. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 6. Critically analyze, apply, and communicate recommendations for changing personal behaviors to mitigate the biodiversity and climate crises. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 7. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of various conservation strategies or policy approaches. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 8. Synthesize multiple investigations of conservation strategies to assess trade‐offs and synergies among them. Audience: Graduate 9. Make science‐based recommendations for the appropriate conservation approach or strategy for a given situation. Audience: Graduate 10. Manipulate quantitative data using multi-step arguments to evaluate, interpret, and express solutions to problems in biodiversity estimation, population monitoring, and genetics in the context of conservation. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad