BI164 (Diversity and Evolution)

BI164 Syllabus

Evolution and Diversity

Spring, 2011

BI164 (Evolution and Diversity)

Prof. Herb Wilson Spring, 2011

Office: 113 AreyCampus phone: x5739 e-mail:

Course content: This course begins with Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Next, we will cover a body of biology, transmission genetics or Mendelian genetics, which was not known to Darwin. This genetics coverage will build on the molecular genetics presented in BI163 (The Cellular Basis of Life). Proceeding from the observation that evolution involves changes in gene frequencies over time, we will continue our coverage of evolution with some population genetics and other microevolutionary phenomena. Using our knowledge of microevolution, we will next explore macroevolution, the evolution of new species of organisms. We will learn about cladistics, a technique that allows us to reconstruct evolutionary pathways. Cladistics is becoming increasingly important in many subdisciplines of biology.

With a firm understanding of microevolution and macroevolution, we will then survey some of the diversity of life. We will begin this portion of the course with an overview of the history of life, with a particular eye to adaptive radiations and to mass extinctions over the last billion years. We will then begin to examine present day patterns of diversity and seek to understand how this diversity has arisen. The course will conclude with a section on biogeography and a final section on reproductive strategies, viewed through the lens of natural selection.

Textbook:

The primary textbook will be the same one used for BI163:

Freeman, Scott F. 2010. Biological Science (4th Edition). Prentice-Hall, New York.

Additional readings will be posted on the BI164 Moodle page.

Attendance policy:

Students are expected to come to class each day. Students with unexcused absences will be dropped from the class.

Meetings outside of class

I am happy to meet with you outside of class. You are welcome to drop by my office for clarification of lecture material or other questions. The best times to drop in are Monday and Wednesday afternoons. A surer way to meet with me is make an appointment with me for a meeting. I bring my calendar to class each day. You can also schedule an appointment by phone or e-mail.

Suggestions for doing well in the class:

•Do the readings prior to lectures on that topic.

•Review your notes after every class and make sure that you understand everything in your notes. If you are confused, please come see me or your laboratory instructor for help. Waiting until shortly before an hour exam to begin studying is a recipe for poor performance on the exam.

•Form a study group. Some of the most effective learning you can do is from your peers.

•We can provide a student tutor for you if you would like. You and the student tutor find mutually convenient times to go over class material.

Class web page. You can navigate to the BI164 web page by going to and clicking on the BI164 link. I will post the Powerpoint presentation for each class on the site along with other web resources you may find useful. In addition, problem sets and other assignments will be posted on our Moodle page.

Grading:

First mid-term exam17%

Second mid-term exam17%

Problem sets12%

Class participation 4%

Final exam25%

Laboratory25%

Hour exams: To give you sufficient time, the hour exams will be given in the evenings from 6:00 until 7:30 PM in Keyes 105.

Hour exam I,Tuesday, March 15

Hour exam II, Monday, April 25

Class participation. Each lecture, I will randomly choose four to six people to give me feedback on the lecture. This procedure will help me to assess student comprehension and will form the basis for your participation grade. If you are absent the day I call your name, you will receive a zero for that day.
Lecture Topics