Ecological Dynamics BIO/ESS 156, QSB/ES 256 (Spring, 2026)
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Please note that the schedule is subject to change at any time. Check back frequently for updates!
| # | Day | Date | Topic | Book Chapter | Assignment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Tue | 1/20 | Intro, models, discrete pop. growth | 3.1-3.2, 3.4-3.7 | |
| 02 | Thu | 1/22 | Discrete to continuous pop. growth | ||
| 03 | Tue | 1/27 | Continuous pop. growth + logistic | 4-4.2.2, 4.2.4-4.5 | |
| 04 | Thu | 1/29 | Graphing pop. growth | ||
| 05 | Tue | 2/3 | Fixed points + 1D stability | 5-5.2.1, 5.3-5.3.1 | |
| 06 | Thu | 2/5 | Taylor expansion and bifurcations | Primer 1 | |
| 07 | Tue | 2/10 | Bifurcations (cont.) — transcritical | ||
| 08 | Thu | 2/12 | Allee effect | ||
| 09 | Tue | 2/17 | Review | ||
| 10 | Thu | 2/19 | Exam I | ||
| 11 | Tue | 2/24 | Saddle-node bifurcations | ||
| 12 | Thu | 2/26 | Pitchfork bifurcations | ||
| 13 | Tue | 3/3 | Competition and 2D systems | 7 | |
| 14 | Thu | 3/5 | Equilibria and stability in 2D | ||
| 15 | Tue | 3/10 | 2D stability (cont.) | ||
| 16 | Thu | 3/12 | Predation | 8 | |
| 17 | Tue | 3/17 | Review | ||
| 18 | Thu | 3/19 | Exam II | ||
| – | Tue | 3/24 | Spring Break | ||
| – | Thu | 3/26 | Spring Break | ||
| 19 | Tue | 3/31 | Life-history models | 10 | |
| 20 | Thu | 4/2 | Life-history models (cont.) | ||
| 21 | Tue | 4/7 | Allometric reasoning | ||
| 22 | Thu | 4/9 | Allometric reasoning (cont.) | ||
| 23 | Tue | 4/14 | Review | ||
| 24 | Thu | 4/16 | Exam III | ||
| 25 | Tue | 4/21 | Probabilistic models 1 | Primer 3 | |
| 26 | Thu | 4/23 | No class | ||
| 27 | Tue | 4/28 | Probabilistic models 2 | 13 | |
| 28 | Thu | 4/30 | Probabilistic models 3 | ||
| 29 | Tue | 5/5 | Review + activity work | ||
| 30 | Thu | 5/7 | Exam IV |