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BIOL 458Quantitative Ecology

Units
0.50
Faculty
Science
Subject
Biology

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 1 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

The course addresses the integration of mathematical and statistical tools to solve problems in ecology, using examples from individual, population, community, and ecosystem scales. Coursework and computer laboratory exercises will explore the relationships between models, hypotheses, experiments, and data.

Prerequisites

  • Complete all of the following
    • Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
      • BIOL150 - Organismal and Evolutionary Ecology (0.50)
      • BIOL251 - Fundamentals of Ecology (0.50)
      • ENVS200 - Field Ecology (0.50)
    • Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
      • ECON221 - Statistics for Economists (0.50)
      • ENVS278 - Applied Statistics for Environmental Research (0.50)
      • STAT202 - Introductory Statistics for Scientists (0.50)

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

Resources

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Reviewed on UW Flow

0% liked it0% easy42% useful

From 5 ratings and 2 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • If you are looking for an easy 4th year course, this is NOT it. This course is supposed to be for those learning R with no experience, but the learning curve is so steep. Took this course in the Fall of 2023 with Dr. Kim Cuddington. This was a flipped course meaning that there was only one 80-minute tutorial once a week while students were expected to review the lecture and lab content. The marking scheme was so complicated but basically 30% online final, 20% in-person midterm, 25% group presentations, 5% quizzes (best 5/7) and 20% participation. The first half of this course was fair. Though Dr. Cuddington is a very harsh marker, she rarely gives part marks and even group presentations are…

    Dec 2023 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Do not take this course if you do not have to! This course is very hard, and has a very fast learning curve. R hits very quickly, and the midterm was horrible for our section. The content is interesting but unnesicarily hard. The midterm was 11 questions worth 20 marks with all short answers, and the prof gave 0 part marks. The structure of the course could be improved, it is basically 2 courses in one with learning the biology AND the R content.

    Nov 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

3 posts and comments in 3 threads mention BIOL 458, February 2015 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Spring 2021

Spring 2018

Winter 2015

Which courses use R? 6 points, 17 comments

“I'm nearly done my course requirements for my masters, so I am looking for classes to audit. I really want to learn R, so I am wondering if the Stats department offers an intro to data analysis with …”

u/GrandNewbien: “BIOL 457 is pretty extensive with R, with pretty ez reqs, but the prof won't mind you sitting in. Just learn it online!”

u/vopho: “She also teaches BIOL 458 in the fall which also uses R quite a bit.”

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Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar