Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Option
This option is available within the Botany major at the following location:
- Corvallis
The option in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation (EEC) combines 4 required advanced BOT undergraduate courses in aspects of ecology, environmental plant physiology, and plant diversity, with electives drawn from a list of BOT, BI, FES and FW courses covering population dynamics, symbiosis, restoration, and conservation.
Option Code: 934
Upon successful completion of the program, students will meet the following learning outcomes:
- Communicate analysis of laboratory methods and experimental results.
- Explain interdisciplinary approaches used to determine the mechanisms that direct the flow of energy, materials and information in plant growth, development, and responses to external factors.
- Synthesize the complex network of biotic and abiotic interactions within ecosystems that determine energy flow, cycling of water, carbon, and nutrients and underlie local, regional, and global patterns in plant species richness and diversity.
- Identify and analyze the anatomical and morphological structures of plants that enable function and recognize structural differences between plant groups.
- Apply the diagnostic features of vascular plant groups to identify plant species and evaluate their phylogenetic relationships to understand the evolutionary origins of diversity and characters.
The total requirements of the Botany Core are shown in the Catalog. The BOT core includes courses in ecology, physiology, evolution, systematics, statistics, and genetics that form the general background in this area of botany. Outside of the core courses, the option required courses include advanced physiology and ecology courses, a WIC course (BOT 323 or BI 371) can be used for both WIC and option requirements, and a choice of plant diversity courses. The electives offer the student a broad range of theoretical, applied, molecular, and quantitative courses.
To encourage students in the option to learn actively and obtain practical skills, up to 3 credits of approved Experiential Learning can be applied to the option. The EEC option courses are all approved electives within the BOT major. The core course requirements of the BOT major are not changed by doing the option, and no additional course credits are required to complete it.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core | ||
| BOT 425 | FLORA OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST | 3 |
| or BOT 323 | ^FLOWERING PLANTS OF THE WORLD | |
| BOT 416 | AQUATIC BOTANY | 4 |
| or BOT 417 | PHYCOLOGY | |
| BOT 445 | ADVANCED PLANT ECOLOGY | 3 |
| or BI 371 | +^ECOLOGICAL METHODS | |
| or BI 483 | POPULATION BIOLOGY | |
| BOT 488 | ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY OF PLANTS | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select at least 8 credits from the following courses: | 8 | |
| COMPARATIVE GENOMICS | ||
| POPULATION GENOMICS | ||
| SYMBIOSES AND THE ENVIRONMENT | ||
| FIELD METHODS IN ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION | ||
| EVOLUTION | ||
| PHYLOGENETICS | ||
| BIOGEOGRAPHY | ||
| FIELD METHODS IN PLANT ECOLOGY | ||
| FUNGAL ECOLOGY | ||
| ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION | ||
| BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN MANAGED FORESTS | ||
| INTRODUCTORY POPULATION DYNAMICS | ||
| APPLIED COMMUNITY AND ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY | ||
Up to 3 credits of approved Experiential Learning (e.g., BOT 401) | ||
Other courses with advisor approval | ||
| Total Credits | 21 | |
- +
Core Education course. Applies to general education requirements for undergraduate students in catalog year 2025-2026 and beyond
- ^
Writing Intensive Curriculum (WIC) course
Option Code: 934