Overview
Save Big on Coursera Plus. 7,000+ courses at $160 off. Limited Time Only!
Explore a thought-provoking lecture challenging the traditional view of evolution as mere adaptation to environmental problems. Delve into the concept of co-evolution, where organisms and their environments engage in a dynamic process of mutual construction. Examine fascinating topics such as cloning, fluctuating asymmetry, and the interplay between genes and environment. Discover intriguing examples, including the Dionne quintuplets, Mars Lander, and pine forests, to illustrate key concepts. Investigate the role of microclimates, plant engineering, and the production and destruction cycles in ecosystems. Learn about the importance of mathematics and statistics in evolutionary studies, and understand how organisms transduce signals from their environment. Gain insights into the complex relationship between living beings and their surroundings, ultimately reshaping your understanding of evolutionary processes.
Syllabus
Introduction
Apologies
Adaptation
Fit
Development
Environment
Cloning
fluctuating asymmetry
Dionne quintuplets
Genes and environment
The metaphor of adaptation
The Mars Lander
Every organism
schlieren optics
moist warm air
protective boundary
microclimatic measurements
plant engineering
Microclimates
Production and destruction
Creation destruction
Pine forests
pines are weeds
weedy plants
Mort
Mathematics
Statistics
Mathematical differentiation
Organisms transduce signals
Sidewinders
Signals transduction
Gravity
Taught by
Santa Fe Institute