Difference between revisions of "Evolutionary Biology Spring 2011"
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− | + | Plagiarism and cheating are violations of the student conduct code, and may be punished by failure in the course or, in severe cases, dismissal from the University. For more information, see [http://www.community.uconn.edu/student_code_appendixa.html Appendix A of the Student Conduct Code].<br> | |
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'''Disabilities:'''<br> | '''Disabilities:'''<br> |
Revision as of 01:51, 16 January 2011
EEB2245/2245W:
The objectives of this course are to familiarize students with the mechanisms of evolutionary change (processes of evolution), major patterns of evolution, and the history of the diversity of life.
Contents
Course Overview
Lectures: | Tu,Th 9:30-10:45, Biological Sciences/Physics 130 | ||||
Emergency closing information | |||||
Textbook: | Futuyma, D. J. 2009. Evolution, 2nd ed. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA | ||||
Website: | hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/eebedia/index.php/Evolutionary_Biology_Spring_2011 | ||||
or Google EEBedia and look under Courses/ Lecture Format |
Quiz 1 | 50 points (12.5%) |
Midterm Exam 1 | 100 points (25%) |
Quiz 2 | 50 points (12.5%) |
Midterm Exam 2 | 100 points (25%) |
Comprehensive Final Exam | 100 points (25%) |
EEB 2245: Your final grade of the course will be calculated as above. The second exam will be given on the same day as the comprehensive final.
EEB 2245W: Your final grade in the lecture portion of the course will be calculated as above. This grade will constitute 75% of your final course grade. Your grade in the W part of the course, as determined by your “W” instructor, will constitute the remaining 25% of your final course grade, except that an F in the W part of the course will result in an F for the entire course. An F in the lecture part of the course will also result in an F for the entire course. Refer to the 2245W handout and [ website] for further information. Dr. Kent Holsinger (PBB 305A; tel: 486-4059; kent.holsinger@uconn.edu) is the coordinator of the W part of the course.
Course Policies
Missed Exams:
Any student who misses a quiz or exam without advance permission will receive a 0 for the assessment. Permission to miss a quiz or exam requires, but is not guaranteed by, verifiable written documentation of the reason. A student who receives permission to miss a quiz or exam will have his or her grade for the missed work prorated based on his or her performance on the remainder of the assessments. We will not give make-ups. Every student must take the final exam (and second exam) during the scheduled final exam period unless permission to reschedule is obtained through the Office of Student Services and Advocacy.
Academic Integrity:
Plagiarism and cheating are violations of the student conduct code, and may be punished by failure in the course or, in severe cases, dismissal from the University. For more information, see Appendix A of the Student Conduct Code.
Disabilities:
If you have a disability for which you may be requesting an accommodation, you should contact a course instructor and the Center for Students with Disabilities (Wilbur Cross Building, Room 201) within the first two weeks of the semester.
Lecture Schedule & Materials
Date | Topic | Readings | Problem Sets/ Study Questions | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part I: Jan 18 - Mar 3, Dr. Elizabeth Jockusch | |||||
Jan 18 | Class Organization, Introduction to the study of evolutionary biology | Ch 1 | |||
Jan 20 | Variation and the Hardy Weinberg equilibrium | pp 221-225 | |||
Jan 25 | Mutation and Genetic Drift | Ch 8, pp255-266 | |||
Jan 27 | Migration and non-random mating | pp 225-227, 244-246 | |||
Feb 1 | Natural selection and adaptation | Ch 11 | |||
Feb 3 | Natural Selection, con't. & Quiz 1 | Ch 11 | |||
Feb 8 | Evidence of natural selection | --------- | |||
Feb 10 | Genetics of natural selection | Ch 12 | |||
Feb 15 | Modes of natural selection | Ch 12 & 13 | |||
Feb 17 | Sexual selection and female choice | Ch 15 | |||
Feb 22 | Genetic conflict and levels of selection | Ch 16 | |||
Feb 24 | Geographic variation and speciation | pp 241-251 | |||
Mar 1 | Mechanisms of speciation | pp 451-479 | |||
Mar 3 | Midterm EXAM 1 covers all material from the first half of the course | --------- | |||
Part II: Mar 15 - May 5, Dr. Chris Simon | |||||
Mar 15 | Speciation mechanisms (continued) | Ch 17 & 18 | |||
Mar 17 | Hybridization, reproductive character displacement, and speciation | Ch 17 & 18 | |||
Mar 22 | Systematics, the study of biodiversity and is origins. Problems in constructing relationships: polymorphisms and homoplasy. | Ch 2 & 3 | |||
Mar 24 | Homoplasy (continued): convergence, parallelisms, and reversals in evolution. Tree thinking. | Ch 2 & 3 | |||
Mar 29 | Reconstructing evolutionary trees from morphological and molecular data. | Ch 2 & 3 | |||
Mar 31 | The tempo of molecular evolution; is there a molecular clock? | Ch 2 & 3 | |||
Apr 5 | A review of the tree of life and the major innovations in animal evolution. & Quiz 2 | --------- | |||
Apr 7 | The origin of evolutionary novelties: Body plans, constraints; pre-adaptation, modification of existing traits: gene duplication, gene regulation. | Ch 21 & 22 | |||
Apr 12 | Evolutionary novelties (continued) Homeobox genes, Master control genes. Flies with eyes on their wings. Ontogeny and phylogeny, Allometry. | Ch 21 & 22 | |||
Apr 14 | Introduction and overview of the fossil record. The origin of life. The RNA world. Prokaryote world. The origin of animals; the Ediacaran Fauna. Mass extinctions. | Ch 4 & 5 (168-171, Box 7A) | |||
Apr 19 | The Paleozoic: Cambrian explosion (or was it?). The origin of vertebrates and the invasion of land. Ordovician (the age of jawless vertebrates), Silurian (first life on land), Devonian (the age of fishes). Carboniferous (Dragonflies w/ 2 ft. wing span, clubmoss forests); Permian. The origin of mammals. The Permo-Triassic boundary mass extinction. | Ch 4 & 5 (plus 168-171 and Box 7A) | |||
Apr 21 | Mesozoic: The age of reptiles. Pangea breaks up followed by Laurasia and Gondwanaland. The evolution of birds from dinosaurs, insects and angiosperms radiate. The K-T Boundary. The extinction of the dinosaurs. Birds and mammals cross the boundary | Ch 4, 5 & 6 | |||
Apr 26 | The Cenozoic: Greenhouse to Icehouse. Continental drift, land bridges, mountain building. Modern biogeographic distributions take shape. The great American interchange. Primate evolution. | Ch 4, 5 & 6 | |||
Apr 28 | Human evolution; Mitochondrial Eve and her relatives. Africa, our most diverse continent. Humans invade Asia and the Pacific and later North America. Biogeography and Biodiversity | Ch 4, 5 & 6 | |||
May 5 (tentative) | Midterm EXAM 2 and COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM (8 am- tentative schedule) | --------- |