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Ecological & Evolutionary Theory BI 334
Spring 2008
Meeting Times and Locations:
Wed, Fri 11:20-12:50 Spiro 28
Recitation Mon 11:20-12:20 Spiro 28
Instructor:
Dr. Brian Palestis
Megerle Science Bldg 413
718-390-3237
bpalesti@wagner.edu
www.wagner.edu/faculty/bpalesti/
Office Hours: Mon, Wed 2:30-3:30; Tues 2:00-4:00
Course Description:
Three hours of lecture and one hour of recitation/discussion weekly. Theoretical issues in ecology and evolutionary biology are discussed, including models of population growth and community interactions, behavioral ecology, population and quantitative genetics, and current controversies.
Learning goals addressed are as follows: 1) competency in scientific reasoning and quantitative analysis, which promotes critical thinking and problem solving 2) knowledge of skills in a chosen field of study, which provide both the proficiency and flexibility to achieve career goals 3) skills of listening, writing, and speech that enable effective communication and self-expression
Prerequisites: The following four foundation Biology courses (213, 215, 217, and 219).
Textbook
Rose, MR and LD Mueller. 2006. Evolution and Ecology of the Organism. Pearson
Prentice Hall.
Grading:
2 lecture exams 20% each
Comprehensive final exam 25%
Term paper 15%
Assignments 12% (life table, primary articles, summaries)
Class participation 8%
Before class discussions each student must write a one to two paragraph summary of each article read. These summaries will not be formally graded, but will show me that you have read and thought about the paper prior to class. Each student will have two discussions for which he/she also reads a related primary paper. This student must briefly explain the primary paper in class and write a more detailed summary that also indicates how the paper relates to discussion paper and to the general discussion topic.
Term paper: Chose one group of organisms and research aspects of evolution within this group (e.g., relationships within the group, relation to other groups, paleontology, genetics, morphological and behavioral adaptations). The paper should be approximately 10 pages long and all references must be cited.
Make-up exams will only be given with a doctor’s note or a letter from Academic Advisement. Incompletes require completion of at least 70% of the work at a passing level.
Wagner College Honor Code: As a member of the Wagner College Community, you are expected to adhere to the terms of the Wagner College Honor Code. The Honor Code was created and passed by the Student Government Association (SGA) in the spring semester of 2007. Its institution benefits the college in a number of ways including an increased level of trust between students and faculty, the fostering of an environment where we hold each other accountable both inside and outside the classroom, and ultimately, an increase in the value of a Wagner College degree.
A copy of the Wagner College Honor Code can be found in your Student Handbook as well as on the SGA Web Page. It is your responsibility to be aware of and follow the terms of the Honor Code. You will also be expected to sign the Honesty Statement and attach it to every test and paper handed in for this class. If you have any questions regarding the Honor Code, please feel free to contact a member of SGA either by phone (718.390.3276) or by email (sga@wagner.edu).
Rose & Mueller Chapter
Week 1 (1/22-25)
Darwin, ecology, and evolution 1
Gould on Darwin video
Week 2 (1/28-2/1)
Recitation: Evidence for evolution discussion (4.22-24)
Phylogeny and the comparative method 2, 21.1-21.2
Basics of population genetics 3.1-3.6
Week 3 (2/4-2/8)
Recitation: Loss of traits discussion
Quantitative genetics 3.8-3.11
Inbreeding, Genetic drift 3.15-3.23
Week 4 (2/11-2/15)
Recitation: Simulations of selection & drift
Natural selection revisited 4, parts of 1
Two-locus population genetics 3.7, 3.12-3.14
Week 5 (2/18-2/22)
Recitation: Scaling laws, self-organization discussions (8.6-8.8)
Constraints on adaptation 4.9, 22.1
Exam 1, Friday 2/22
Week 6 (2/25-2/29)
Recitation: Evo-Devo discussion
The levels of selection 5.12, 20.1-20.4
Molecular evolution 5
Week 7 (3/3-3/7)
Recitation: Intragenomic conflict discussion
Speciation, Macroevolution 6
Week 8 (3/10-3/14)
Recitation: Ecology & speciation discussion
Demography, Life history theory 7, 10.9, 22.10-22.11
Spring Break
Week 9 (3/24-3/28)
No classes Easter Mon 3/24, Monday classes on Tues 3/25
Population growth 10, 1.14, 1.16, 11.2
Recitation: Simulations of population growth
Life table homework due Friday 3/28
Week 10 (3/31-4/4)
Recitation: Physiological & ecosystems ecology discussion (16.11, 15.16)
Intra- and interspecific competition 12, 1.15
Exam 2 Friday 4/4
Week 11 (4/7-4/11)
Recitation: Conservation issues discussion (3.19-20, 17.10)
Predation & herbivory 13
Parasitism & mutualism 14, 22.5-22.9
Week 12 (4/14-4/18)
Recitation: Complex interactions discussion
Community ecology 15
Biodiversity 15, 17.1-17.4
Week 13 (4/21-4/25)
No classes Mon 4/21 (Passover), Monday classes on Wed 4/23
Sexual reproduction 18, 19
Social evolution 20.1, 20.4-20.8
Week 14 (4/28-5/2)
Recitation: Evolutionary psychology discussion (21.15-17)
Last day of classes, Wednesday 4/30
Papers due Friday 5/2
Field trip to the Hutcheson Memorial Forest, Friday 5/2 (a Reading Day)
Final exam Wednesday, 5/7
Discussion Readings
Evidence for Evolution (Week 2)
Prothero (2005) The Fossils Say Yes
Weiner (2005) Evolution in Action
Cornog (2005) Intelligent Design?
Evolutionary loss of traits (Week 3)
Diamond (1998) Evolving Backward
Carroll (2006) Broken Pieces of Yesterday’s Life
Scaling laws (Week 5)
Bonner (2006) Matters of Size
Self-organization (Week 5)
Camazine (2003) Patterns in Nature
Evo-Devo (Week 6)
Carroll (2005) The Origins of Form
Intragenomic Conflict (Week 7)
Mestel (1998) The Genetic Battle of the Sexes
Gould, F (2006) The Dark Side of DNA
Ecology & Speciation (Week 8)
Morell (1999) Ecology Returns to Speciation Studies
Losos (2001) Evolution: A Lizard’s Tale
Physiological Ecology (Week 10)
Nagy (2002) Dry, dry again
Ecosystems Ecology (Week 10)
Semeniuk (2003) How bears feed salmon to the forest
Conservation Issues (Week 11)
Franklin (2001) The Most Important Fish in the Sea
Knight (2001) Alien Versus Predator
Soulé & Mills (1998) No Need to Isolate Genetics
Complex Interactions (Week 12)
Robbins (2004) Lessons from the Wolf
Ostfeld (1997) The Ecology of Lyme-Disease Risk
Evolutionary Psychology (Week 14)
Cowley (1996) The Biology of Beauty
Primary articles
Evidence for evolution (Week 2)
Shubin, N.H., E.B. Daeschler and F.A. Jenkins Jr. 2006. The pectoral fin of
Tiktaalik roseae and the origin of the tetrapod limb. Nature 440: 764-771.
Grant, P.R., and B.R. Grant. 2006. Evolution of character displacement in
Darwin's finches. Science 313: 224-226.
Evolutionary loss of traits (Week 3)
Cody, M.L. and J.M. Overton. 1996. Short-term evolution of reduced dispersal in
island plant populations. Journal of Ecology 84: 53-61.
Shigenobu et al. 2000. Genome sequence of the endocellular bacterial symbiont
of aphids Buchnera sp. Nature 407: 81-86.
Scaling laws (Week 5)
Frankino et al. 2005. Natural selection and developmental constraints in the
evolution of allometries. Science 307: 718-720.
Self-organization (Week 5)
Wootton, T.J. 2001. Local interactions predict large-scale pattern in empirically
derived cellular automata. Nature 413: 841-844.
Evo-Devo (Week 6)
Panganiban et al. 1995. The development of crustacean limbs and the evolution of
arthropods. Science 270: 1363-1366.
Intragenomic Conflict (Week 7)
Hager, R. and R.A. Johnstone. 2003. The genetic basis of family conflict
resolution in mice. Nature 421: 533-535.
Ingvarsson, P.K. and D.R. Taylor. 2002. Genealogical evidence for epidemics of
selfish genes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99:
11265-11269.
Ecology & Speciation (Week 8)
McKinnon et al. 2004. Evidence for ecology's role in speciation. Nature 429: 294-
298.
Losos et al. 1998. Contingency and determinism in replicated adaptive radiations
of island lizards. Science 279: 2115-2118.
Physiological Ecology (Week 10)
Henen, B.T. 2002. Reproductive effort and reproductive nutrition of female desert
tortoises: essential field methods. Integrative and Comparative Biology
42: 43-50.
Ecosystems Ecology (Week 10)
Hocking, M.D. and T.E. Reimchen. 2002. Salmon-derived nitrogen in terrestrial
invertebrates from coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest. BMC
Ecology 2: 4.
Conservation Issues (Week 11)
Worm et al. 2006. Impacts of biodiversity loss on ocean ecosystem services.
Science 314: 787-790.
Louda et al. 1997. Ecological effects of an insect introduced for the biological
control of weeds. Science 277: 1088-1090.
Westemeier et al. 1998. Tracking the long-term decline and recovery of an
isolated population. Science 282: 1695-1697.
Complex Interactions (Week 12)
Post, et al. 1999. Ecosystem consequences of wolf behavioural responses to
climate. Nature 401: 905-907.
Jones et al. 1998. Chain reactions linking acorns to gypsy moth outbreaks and
lyme disease risk. Science 279: 1023-1026.
Evolutionary Psychology (Week 14)
Penton-Voak et al. 1999. Menstrual cycle alters face preference. Nature 399: 741-
742.
Freeman Chapters (2nd ed.)
Freeman 2nd ed. Chapter
Darwin, ecology, and evolution 1.2, 50.1, Boxes 23.1, 23.2
Phylogeny and the comparative method 1.3, pp. 556-561, Box 28.1
Basics of population genetics 24
Quantitative genetics pp. 291-293
Inbreeding 24.6
Genetic drift 24.3, Box 26.1
Natural selection 23, 24.2
Two-locus population genetics
Constraints on adaptation 23.4
Molecular evolution 4.4, 20.3, Box 15.1, p. 794
The levels of selection pp. 1185-1186
Speciation 25
Macroevolution 26.2-26.5
Demography, Life history theory 52.1, 41.1
Population growth 52
Intra- and interspecific competition 53.1
The ecological niche pp. 1216-1217
Predation & herbivory 53.1
Parasitism & mutualism 53.1, pp. 657-659,
682-686, 929
Community ecology 53.2, pp. 1247-1251
Biodiversity 53.3, 55
Sexual reproduction 12.3, 48.1, pp. 248, 523-527 Social evolution 51.6
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