Evolutionary Biology Spring 2016

Lecture Schedule

Please read assigned chapters, as indicated below, prior to class
This schedule is subject to change. Check regularly for updates!

Date	Topic	Readings	Study Questions / Problem Sets
	Part I: Jan 20 - Mar 6, Dr. Elizabeth Jockusch
Jan 20	Class organization; Introduction to the study of evolutionary biology	Ch 1	Study Questions Activity 1, Evolutionary vs. non-evolutionary change Bird-of-paradise courtship
Jan 22	Variation and the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium	pp 217-228	Study Questions Activity 2, testing for HWE
Jan 27	SNOW DAY - CLASS CANCELED
Jan 29	Mutation and non-random mating	pp 189-208, 229-35, 247-8	Study Questions More about kuru and prions The math behind the HWE Activity 3, assortative mating vs inbreeding Activity 4-due Mon. Feb. 2 by 11pm
Feb 3	Sampling effects and migration	Ch 10	Study Questions Problem Set 1 Activity 4 results Activity 5-due Thurs. Feb. 5 at 9:15 am Activity 5 answers
Feb 5	Conservation applications of population genetics	--	Study Questions Activity 6
Feb 10	EXAM 1 (50 pts) & Natural selection	Ch 11
Feb 12	Evidence for natural selection	Ch 11	Study Questions Activity 7
Feb 17	Genetics of natural selection	Ch 12	Study Questions Activity 8-due Tues. Feb. 17 at 9:15 am
Feb 19	Modes of natural selection	Ch 12 & 13	Study Questions Activity 9-Mean fitness table at end of Activity 8 due in class today
Feb 24	Sexual selection and female choice	Ch 15	Study Questions Activity 10-Selection on dominant vs. recessive alleles : online portion due before class; bring your graphs to class
Feb 26	Genetic conflict and levels of selection	Ch 16	Study Questions
Mar 3	Geographic variation and speciation	pp 483-491	Study Questions Review Session tonight 7-9pm BPP 130
Mar 5	EXAM 2 (100 pts, midterm covering all lectures)
	Part II: Mar 10 - May 7, Dr. Chris Simon
Mar 10	Mechanisms of Speciation: Reproductive Isolation. (taught by Dr. Jockusch)	Ch 17 & 18	Study Questions
Mar 12	Species Concepts; Hybridization (taught by Dr. Wade)	Ch 17 & 18	Discussion Questions Lecture 14
Mar 17	SPRING BREAK
Mar 19	SPRING BREAK
Mar 24	Speciation Mechanisms. Spatial, temporal, chromosomal with and without hybridization	Ch 17, 18 & 531-533pp (ch 19)	Discussion Questions Lecture 15
Mar 26	Systematics, the study of biodiversity and its origins. Problems in constructing relationships: polymorphisms and homoplasy. Tree thinking.	Ch 2 & 3	Discussion Questions Lecture 16 part I Lecture 16 part II
Mar 26	Discussion Session 7-8pm BPB 131	Discussion questions Lectures 14, 15 & 16
Mar 30	Discussion Session 8-9pm BPB 131	Discussion questions Lectures 14, 15 & 16
Mar 31	Homoplasy (continued): convergence, parallelisms, and reversals in evolution.	Ch 2 & 3	Discussion Questions Lecture 17
Apr 2	Reconstructing evolutionary trees from morphological and molecular data.	Ch 2 & 3	Discussion Questions Lecture 18 corrected
Apr 2	Discussion Session 7-9pm BPB 131	Discussion questions Lectures 17 & 18 + Exam review
Apr 7	Discussion Session 7-9pm BPB 131	Discussion questions Lectures 17, 18 & 19 + Exam review
Apr 7	Reconstructing evolutionary trees from morphological and molecular data. How molecules evolve. Is there a molecular clock?	Ch 2 & 3	Discussion Questions Lecture 19 revised
Apr 9	Molecular Clock (continued) EXAM 3 (50 pts)		Discussion Questions Lecture 20
Apr 9	Discussion Session CANCELLED
Apr 13	Discussion Session 8-9pm BPB 131	Discussion questions Lectures 19 & 20
Apr 14	An overview of life	This is mostly review from intro-biology	Discussion Questions Lecture 21
Apr 16	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, pp 168-171, Box 7A	Discussion Questions Lecture 22
Apr 16	Discussion Session 7-8pm BPB 131	Discussion questions Lectures 21 & 22
Apr 20	Discussion Session 8-9pm BPB 130	Discussion questions Lectures 21 & 22
Apr 21	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, 168-171, box 7A	Discussion Questions Lecture 23 Paleozoic Lecture 23 Mesozoic Your Inner Fish PBS 3-episode show on the evolution of tetrapods. Very cool animations! First episode is all about Tiktaalik.
Apr 23	The 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	Discussion Questions Lecture 24 Mesozoic continued Lecture 24 and 25 Cenozoic Evolution: Great Transformations What Darwin Never Knew
Apr 23	Discussion Session 7-8pm BPB 131	Lectures 23 & 24
Apr 27	Discussion Session 8-9pm BPB 130	Lectures 23 & 24
Apr 28	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	Discussion Questions Lecture 25 Cenozoic part 2 Lecture 26a Primate & Human Evolution
Apr 30	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	Discussion Questions Lecture 26b Human Evolution continued Lecture 26c Biogeography and Biodiversity
Apr 30	Discussion Session 7-8pm BPB 130	Lectures 25 & 26 + Final review	Short videos about evolution. This can help you study for the exam.
May 4	Office hours BPB 130 2-4 pm	TA available for questions	Come ask any questions you may have on the material before the final. This is NOT a review session. Come prepared with questions
May 7	EXAM 4 (100 pts) & COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM (70 pts) 8 - 10am TLS 154