Yolanda MorbeyWestern Science

Teaching

Teaching in 2015-2016

Biology 3435G - Animal Ecology: This course focuses on individual-level ecology from an evolutionary perspective, and is highly recommended for students doing a Specialization in Biology or Animal Behaviour and who have a strong background in ecology and evolution. The major theme is how individuals cope with environmental variability in order to acquire the resources they need to optimize their survival and reproductive success. Topics covered include environmental variability, the niche concept, optimal habitat selection, patch departure, migration, individual-based movement, bioenergetics, and how individual variation scales up to have population level consequences. The lab will focus on key skills required by the working ecologist: data collection, analysis (in R), thinking with models (we will use NetLogo), and writing.

Offered in Winter 2015.

Previous courses

Biology 9440B - Movement Behaviour and Analysis: This graduate level course focuses on theoretical and statistical aspects of animal movement. We consider major concepts in movement ecology both at the individual level (orientation, navigation, movement models) and population level (dispersal, migration). Using R, we cover the analysis of circular data, analysis of movement trajectories, and Bayesian inference of movement models (using WinBUGS or JAGS).

Offered next in 2017.

Biology 9xxx - Multivariate Statistics: In this graduate level course, students will become proficient at using R to conduct multivariate statistics. Topics covered include MANOVA, Repeated Measures ANOVA, mixed models, principal components analysis, discriminant function analysis, and canonical correlation analysis.