Enrollment is limited to 25 students. In this course we will discuss and study the proximate and ultimate causes of invasiveness and colonizing ability in plants, primarily herbaceous annual and perennials, from the global to the molecular levels of organization. The goal of this course will be to explore the reasons why weeds are so successful in so many habitats. Humans have thrown all their best money, resources, labor, science and technology, machinery and herbicides at these invasive species and the weeds have responded by getting better, extending their geographic range and exploiting more agroecosystem niche, or opportunity, space.
Weeds are the product of selection and adaptation over long and short time scales.
Faculty are encouraged to join these discussion with students and the instructor to enhance the scope of the classroom dialogue.