Courses

At QBD we are involved in several courses throughout the curriculum of the Biology department.

BSc. Evolution and Biodiversity (level 1)

A level 1 course which covers several main themes from evolutionary biology such as the processes of mutation, gene flow, genetic drift, and forms of selection (natural, artificial, sexual and kin selection) and adaptation at the population level, speciation, reproductive isolation, allopatric- and sympatric speciation hybrids and polyploidy, macroevolution and covers the distinctive features of the following groups of organisms: viruses, bacteria, archae, fungi, unicellular eukaryotes, plants and animals.

BSc. Evolution level 2

A level 2 course on the foundations of evolutionary biology, where students are taught various subjects on evolutionary biology ranging from molecular evolution, to models of natural selection and genetic drift as well as large-scale biogeographical patterns, co-evolution and interactions on various levels of biological organisation. 

BSc. Taxonomy and Identification

A level 2 course on recognising species and their diversity across taxonomic groups. This course is a necessary course for the follow-up courses Biodiversity & Landscape as well as Plants, Ecosystems and Humans. It is also complementary to existing part-time courses within the “Professional Field” courses and will mainly focus on lectures and practicals providing further in depth understanding and experience from an ecological perspective.

BSc. Evolution level 3

A multidisciplinary level 3 course on evolutionary biology where the links between ecology and evolution are presented, discussed and researched from a variety of angles and disciplines, including selection and adaptation, (sympatric) speciation, genome evolution, cooperation and interdependency. This course includes a large practical component where students can for instance do fieldwork, labwork or computational analyses.

BSc. Spatial Evolutionary Ecology

A level 3 course on specifically recognizing large scale patterns in biodiversity and analyzing these with state-of-the-art methods. This course acts as an educational bridge between ecology as well as evolutionary biology and empirical research with a strong focus on modeling using R. 

BSc. Biodiversity and Landscape

A level 3 multidisciplinary course focused on understanding the connections between vegetation, plant diversity, subsoil, geomorphology and human intervention in the landscape, and to recognize patterns that arise as a result of the interaction of biotic and abiotic processes. This includes learning how to conduct scientific research via a practical research project on the island of Terschelling, field excursions and (multivariate) statistical analyses.

(Extra-curricular course) "Biology in the Field; Flora" (last given 2023-2024, from 2024 will be a full curricular course)

A practical course of which the main objectives are to introduce participants to the Dutch National diversity of plants and to further learn how to use the Heukels' Flora, a frequently used guide for identifying Dutch plants. Secondary objectives are to introduce the Utrecht University Botanic Gardens as well as an introduction to the relationships between geomorphology and plant associations as well as gaining an introduction to fieldwork in recording Dutch flora and relationships between humans and plants.