BIOL4430 - Evolution and Ecology of Infectious Diseases

This course will focus on fundamental topics related to the ecological and evolutionary processes driving the transmission of pathogenic microbes among hosts including life-history strategies; evolution of pathogenic traits; the impacts of temporal, spatial and host-trait heterogeneity; and factors causing the emergence of an infectious pathogen. Examples will be drawn from human, wildlife, and plant pathogens to illustrate these ecological and evolutionary topics. Students will learn to develop and apply current ecological and evolutionary theory to infectious microbe research and gain practical experience accessing, interpreting and synthesizing the peer-reviewed scientific literature through a combination of popular and scientific readings, discussion, and lecture.