Community ecology is an interdisciplinary field that bridges concepts and investigates the underlying mechanisms in biodiversity science, biogeography, evolution and conservation. This course provides an introduction to the study of pattern and process in ecological communities with an emphasis on theoretical, experimental and quantitative approaches. Topics include: ecological and evolutionary processes that create, maintain or modify patterns of biodiversity; biodiversity and ecosystem function; island biogeography; metacommunity dynamics; dispersal; ecological drift; species interactions (competition, predation, food webs) and species coexistence; and effects of human-mediated environmental change (climate change, habitat alteration, invasive species) on biodiversity. The class format includes lectures, discussions, and hands-on simulations also using the R language for statistical computing and graphics.