Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

On this page: Introduction | Programs |

See also: Faculty Members | Course Descriptions | | Course Winter Timetable |

Introduction

Ecologists and evolutionary biologists recognize that all life has evolved and that an understanding of the central question of the origin and maintenance of diversity from genomes to ecosystems underlies all life sciences and is critical to our stewardship of life. Society needs to make informed decisions about sustainable development, global temperature change, control of invasive species, the preservation of genetic diversity and ecosystem integrity, and the control of emerging infectious diseases such as SARS and drug-resistant malaria. These are fundamentally evolutionary and ecological problems.

Research and teaching in the Department covers all life forms (microbes, fungi, plants, animals) and is aimed at an understanding of the diversity of life and all aspects of organismal biology in the natural world. Research faculty use a broad array of approaches in their studies, including molecular studies, laboratory experiments, computer and mathematical modeling, and field studies in many different areas of the world. Instruction provides opportunities for research projects conducted in the laboratory and the field. We offer a very wide range of courses that deal with molecular evolution, population and quantitative genetics, genomics, animal behaviour, population, community, and landscape ecology, evolutionary and ecological theory, biodiversity, conservation biology, and systematics. Students exposed to these subjects come to realize that the ecological and evolutionary underpinnings of life present a host of scientific problems that are both intellectually challenging and critical to our future.

The Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology offers five programs: Specialist programs in Behaviour, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology; a Major program in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology; and a Minor program in Environmental Biology. The Department also jointly offers, with the Department of Cell & Systems Biology, Specialist, Major, and Minor programs in Biology, Botany, and Zoology. The Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB) arose, along with its sister department, the Department of Cell & Systems Biology (CSB), from a reorganization in 2006 of the previous departments of Botany and Zoology.

Students entering their first year in the life sciences take BIO150Y1. BIO150Y1 is taken by students who have successfully completed grade 12 Biology (or an equivalent course) and is a prerequisite for almost all further courses in the life sciences.

Students requiring more information about Ecology & Evolutionary Biology programs and courses please visit the departmental website or contact the Undergraduate Office, Earth Sciences Centre (25 Willcocks St.), Room 3055, undergrad@eeb.utoronto.ca.

Website: www.eeb.utoronto.ca

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Programs

After completing 4.0 FCEs (four full courses or their equivalent), students in these programs are encouraged to discuss their course selections each year with the Department. Contact: undergrad@eeb.utoronto.ca

Enrolment in the programs listed below requires completion of 4.0 FCEs; no minimum GPA is required.

Behaviour (Science program)

Specialist program:

(13 full courses or their equivalent, including at least 1.0 400-series FCE)

First Year: BIO150Y1; (CHM138H1, CHM139H1)/CHM151Y1; JMB170Y1/MAT135Y1/MAT136Y1/MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1

Higher Years:

1. 2.5 FCEs: BIO250Y1/BIO255Y1; BIO260H1/HMB265H1; (PSY290H1, PSY260H1/PSY280H1)/BIO252Y1/ZOO252Y1

2. 1.0 FCE in statistics from: (PSY201H1, PSY202H1); (STA220H1, EEB/BIO 225H1) (recommended); (STA220H1, STA221H1); (STA220H1, JBS 229H1); (STA250H1, STA255H1); (STA257H1, STA261H1)

3. 1.5 FCEs: EEB/ZOO 322H1; EEB/BIO 323H1; EEB/BIO 324H1

4. 0.5 field course from: EEB/BIO 301H1, 302H1, 303H1, 305H1, 306H1, 307H1, 308H1, 309H1, 469H1; EEB/ZOO 304H1, 360H1, 361H1; EEB/BOT 304H1

5. 1.0 400-series seminar course: EEB/BIO 494Y1/495Y1/496Y1 (496Y1 is recommended)

6. 3.5 FCEs (at least 1.5 must be 300+ series) from: ANT436H1; BIO; EEB (excluding EEB202H1, EEB214H1, EEB215H1, EEB216H1); ENV234Y1; HMB321H1; HPS323H1, 333H1, HPS353H1, HPS355H1; JZP; PSY (excluding PSY300H1); ZOO (excluding ZOO 200Y1, 214Y1, 215H1, 216H1)NOTE: EEB/BIO 319H1, 321H1; EEB/ZOO 362H1; PSY397H1/JZP326H1, PSY497H1/JZP428H1; PSY260H1, PSY280H1, PSY362H1, PSY369H1, PSY390H1, PSY392H1, PSY393H1, PSY396H1, PSY399H1, PSY460H1, PSY490H1 are recommended for this program. Students wishing to take PSY courses to fulfill the requirements of this program should take PSY100H1. To take additional PSY courses, students must be enrolled in a PSY program or have obtained a minimum of 70% in PSY100H1.

Biology: see Biology

Botany: see Biology

Ecology (Science program)

Specialist program:

(13 full courses or their equivalent, including at least 1.0 400-series FCE)

First Year: BIO150Y1; (CHM138H1, CHM139H1)/CHM151Y1; JMB170Y1/MAT135Y1/MAT136Y1/MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1

Higher Years:

1. 3.5 FCEs: BIO250Y1/BIO255Y1; BIO260H1/HMB265H1; BIO251Y1/BOT251Y1/BIO252Y1/ZOO252Y1; EEB265Y1/ZOO265Y1/ENV234Y1

2. 1.0 FCE in statistics from: (PSY201H1, PSY202H1); (STA220H1, EEB/BIO 225H1) (recommended); (STA220H1, STA221H1); (STA220H1, JBS 229H1); (STA250H1, STA255H1); (STA257H1, STA261H1)

3. 0.5 FCE: EEB/BIO 323H1

4. 0.5 field course from: EEB/BIO 301H1, 302H1, 303H1, 305H1, 306H1, 307H1, 308H1, 309H1, 469H1; EEB/ZOO 304H1, 360H1, 361H1; EEB/BOT 304H1

5. 2.0 FCEs from: EEB/BIO 319H1, 321H1, 324H1, 328H1, 365H1, 370H1, EEB/ZOO 322H1

6. 1.0 400-series seminar course: EEB/BIO 494Y1/495Y1/496Y1 (495Y1 is recommended)

7. 1.5 FCEs (at least 0.5 must be 300+ series) from: ANT436H1, BIO, BOT (excluding BOT202Y1), CHM; EEB (excluding EEB202H1, EEB214H1, EEB215H1, EEB216H1); ENV (excluding ENV200Y1); GGR (only Science courses); GLG (excluding GLG 100H1, GLG103H1, GLG105H1, GLG110H1); HMB321H1; HPS 323H1, 333H1, HPS353H1, HPS355H1; MAT; PHY (excluding PHY100H1, PHY101H1); STA; ZOO (excluding ZOO 200Y1, 214Y1, 215H1, 216H1)NOTE: EEB/BIO 428H1, 440H1, 465H1, 469H1, 471H1, EEB/ZOO 375H1 are recommended for this program.

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (Science program)

Major program:

(8 full courses or their equivalent)

First Year: BIO150Y1; (CHM138H1, CHM139H1)/CHM151Y1

Higher Years:

1. 3.0 FCEs: BIO250Y1/BIO255Y1; BIO260H1/HMB265H1; BIO/BOT 251Y1 or BIO/ZOO 252Y1 or EEB/ZOO 265Y1 or ENV234Y1; STA220H1

2. 2.0 FCEs from: EEB/BIO 319H1, 321H1, 323H1, 324H1, 328H1, 362H1, 365H1, 370H1, EEB/ZOO 322H1

3. 1.0 FCE from: BIO/BOT 251Y1; BIO/ZOO 252Y1; EEB (excluding EEB202H1, EEB214H1, EEB215H1, EEB216H1); ENV234Y1; HPS 323H1, 333H1, HPS353H1, HPS355H1; JMB170Y1/MAT135Y1/MAT136Y1/MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1

Environmental Biology (Science program)

Minor program:

(4 full courses or their equivalent)

1. BIO150Y1; ENV234Y1

2. 2.0 FCEs from: EEB/BIO 319H1, 321H1, 323H1, 324H1, 328H1, 362H1, 365H1, 370H1, EEB/ZOO 322H1 (a course in ecology and a course in evolution are recommended)

Evolutionary Biology (Science program)

Specialist program:

(13 full courses or their equivalent, including at least 1.0 400-series FCE)

First Year: BIO150Y1; (CHM138H1, CHM139H1)/CHM151Y1; JMB170Y1/MAT135Y1/MAT136Y1/MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1

Higher Years:

1. 2.5 FCEs: BIO250Y1/BIO255Y1; BIO260H1/HMB265H1; BIO251Y1/BOT251Y1/BIO252Y1/ZOO252Y1

2. 1.0 FCE in statistics from: (PSY201H1, PSY202H1); (STA220H1, EEB/BIO 225H1) (recommended); (STA220H1, STA221H1); (STA220H1, JBS 229H1); (STA250H1, STA255H1); (STA257H1, STA261H1)

3. 2.0 FCEs: EEB/BIO 319H1, 323H1, 324H1, 362H

4. 0.5 field course: EEB/BIO 301H1, 302H1, 303H1, 305H1, 306H1, 307H1, 308H1, 309H1, 469H1; EEB/ZOO 304H1, 360H1, 361H1; EEB/BOT 304H1

5. 1.0 400-series seminar course: EEB/BIO 494Y1/495Y1/496Y1 (494Y1 is recommended)

6. 3.0 FCEs (at least 1.0 must be 300+ series) from: ANT436H1; BIO; BOT (excluding BOT202Y1); CHM220H1, CHM247H1/CHM249H1; CSB351Y1, CSB352H1, CSB357H1, CSB452H1, CSB458H1, CSB460H1, CSB472H1; EEB (excluding EEB202H1, EEB214H1, EEB215H1, EEB216H1); ENV234Y1; GLG110H1, GLG216H1; HMB321H1; HPS 323H1, 333H1, HPS353H1, HPS355H1; MAT235Y1/MAT237Y1; PHY110Y1/PHY138Y1/ PHY140Y1; PSY100H1/100Y1; ZOO (excluding ZOO 200Y1, 214Y1, 215H1, 216H1)NOTE: EEB/BIO 319H1, 321H1, 365H1, 370H1, 459H1, 460H1, 461H1, EEB/ZOO 462H1 are recommended for this program.

Zoology: see Biology