Contemporary Evolution:
Humans as Agents of Selection

October 4-9th, 2010
 

A Nordic Marine Academy Course held at
the Marine Biological Station
Bergen, Norway
 

Course Description:

In medicine and agriculture, managing evolution is commonplace. Breeders of domesticated animals and plants have steered evolution for millennia, whereas during past decades, attempts to avoid resistance evolution has become a major issue in both human health and agriculture. In dealing with wild populations, awakening to contemporary evolution has just started. Yet there is little doubt that humans are the greatest evolutionary force of modern times. Wherever humans are present, pristine habitats are absent or rare, and even the most remote places are influenced by climate change and pollutants. Humans transport animals and plants to novel environments. Populations that are resources to humans may have humans as their primary predator or herbivore. All these changes have evolutionary implications, and understanding them is an important task in managing and conserving the environment.

The course is an opportunity to bring together young and experienced scientists with various backgrounds in evolutionary ecology. The course aims to present theory and techniques, statistical and modelling, to measure human-induced evolution in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments, covering topics from the effects of environmental degradation and noise pollution through to selective removal of individuals (hunting). The course will suit both experienced postdocs and doctoral students curious in expanding their quantitative skills.

Intended audience

The course will be of interest to those working on organisms spanning both terrestrial and aquatic systems in evolutionary ecology, fisheries, behavioural ecology, life history theory (including exploitation-induced and contemporary evolution), wildlife biology, and conservation biology.

Credits: 3 ECT