BIOL-UA 917 (2024-2025 Spring)
Course: BIOL-UA 917 Special Topics in Biology: Ecology of Infectious Diseases: Ecology of Infectious Disease
Course description:
Host-pathogen systems occupy an important place in ecology, and an ecological perspective has contributed significantly to our understanding of infectious diseases. There is indeed much more to infectious diseases than the health of individual hosts, and host-pathogen systems provide a fascinating subject to learn about principles of ecology, to ask questions about environmental impacts on health, and to examine the interplay of ecology and evolution. This course will cover major topics within these themes, with examples drawn from infectious diseases of humans, plants and wildlife. We will learn about foundations of population dynamics and quantitative approaches to their understanding. We will focus on critical discussion of the scientific literature and consider the context of more general science writing. Connections will be drawn between basic science and more applied implications for hosts and pathogens in a changing planet.