ECOL496G

Complex systems are \"collectives\": they consist of many units that may create unexpectedly interesting group-level behaviors through their interactions. Such systems are frequent in biology, from gene networks to ecological networks, from social groups of animals or microbes to the interactions of molecules and enzymes that form an organisms metabolism. This class will help you understand the commonalities and differences of these systems and what is so exciting about 'systems biology'. You will also learn about commonly used ways that networks are described and analyzed, including how to perform some of these analyses yourself in R. The class will introduce individual-level behaviors that lead to emergent group-level behaviors, how evolved complex systems develop efficiency, robustness, and other adaptive traits, but also how and why complex systems may behave non-adaptively from the point of view of individuals or the system as a whole.

GRD - REG OR ALT (Regular or Alternative Grades)