BZ346

Population and Evolutionary Genetics

Fall 2001

Dr. Joan Herbers E338 Anatomy/Zoology 491-7013	Dr. Shanna Carney E411 Anatomy/Zoology 491-1092
Office Hours: Monday 9-11 Tuesday 9-10	Office Hours: Tuesday 10-11 Wednesday 1-3

Textbook: Evolutionary Analysis by S. Freeman and J. C. Herron, second edition

GRADING: There will be four hourly exams; the final will emphasize material covered in the last part of the course, but will also have a section that is cumulative over the entire semester. In addition, we will be doing in-class exercises periodically throughout the semester. Finally, you will be asked to write two summary papers for episodes of the PBS series on Evolution to be broadcast in late September.

Exam 1 15% September 21

Exam 2 20% October 10

Exam 3 20% November 5

Exam 4 25% December 11 7:00 AM

Genetics quiz 5% September 5

In-class exercises 10% unannounced

PBS reports 5% due October 1

Course Outline

Dr. Herbers
August	20	Introduction and review of genetics concepts
	22 - 27	History of evolutionary thought	Chapters 2, 3
	29 - 31	Adaptation	Chapter 8
Sept	5 - 19	Genetics quiz ; Mechanisms of evolutionary change: single-locus models	Chapters 5-6
	21	EXAM I
	24	Evolutionary genomics (guest lecture)
	26-28	Two-locus and multilocus Models	Chapter 7
Oct	1 - 8	PBS papers due; Quantitative genetics	Chapter 7
	10	EXAM 2
Dr. Carney
Oct	12	Types of Selection: Sexual and Fertility Selection	Ch. 9
	15	Kin Selection	Ch. 10
	17	Speciation: Species Concepts	403-409
	19	Species Concepts cont.
	22	Isolating Mechanisms	409-414
	24	Mechanisms of Divergence	414-420
	26	Mechanisms of Divergence, Genetics of Differentiation	427-432
	29	Secondary Contact and Hybridization	421-426
	31	General Modes of Speciation	417
Nov	2	Rates of Speciation	521-526
	5	EXAM 3
	7	Genetic Variation in Nature
	9	Phylogenetics: Molecular Evolution	Ch. 18
	12	Phylogenetic Characters	437-450
	14	Cladistic Theory - Guest Lecture
	16	Using Phylogenies to Answer Questions	450-459
		Thanksgiving Break
	26	Fossil Record	507-521
	28	Extinction Models	527-543
	30	Current Topics: Human Evolution	Ch. 16
Dec	3	Evolution of Sex	213-224
	5	Evolution and Disease	Ch. 1, 19
	7	Wrapup
	11	FINAL EXAM

In-Class Exercises

· Periodically throughout the semester we will do exercises in class. These will not be announced ahead of time

· Participation in the exercises will count toward a total of 10% of your final grade. It is therefore to your advantage to come to class regularly

Background Assumed

q One full year of introductory biology is required. We will draw most heavily on concepts of genetics that you learned in your first-year biology course. It is imperative that you review Mendel's laws, the central dogma of molecular biology, and other fundamentals of genetics. We will hold two review sessions for those of you who are shaky on these topics, and a quiz to be given in class on September 5 will be worth 5% of your grade

q Evolutionary genetics is a quantitative science, and we will use college-level algebra throughout the course (up through M124). If you are shaky on logs, algebra, exponents, and so on, review!

Examinations

§ Exams will test you on those subjects we cover in class. Your textbook has additional information that you will enjoy reading for background.

§ Problems on exams will be similar to those we do in class and those on homework assignments. They will be sufficiently different to discriminate between students who understand the material and those who have learned algorithms for solving problems.

§ Examinations are structured so that students who rely on memorization earn Cs. Those who understand the material earn Bs. Those who not only understand the material but who can apply it to new problems earn As.

§ For our exams, the old rubric applies: study 2-3 hours outside class for every hour inside class. That means you should plan on studying 10-15 hours for every exam.

PBS papers

§ PBS will televise a 7-part series on Evolution September 24-27. We ask that you write 2-3 page reviews of two of those segments. In your review you should 1) Describe the scientific content of the episode you watched; 2) Discuss how the episode relates to subjects we are studying in class; and 3) Critically evaluate the content, cinematography, and overall value of the episode.

§ Together, the two papers count for 5% of your course grade. In addition to evaluating content, we will grade your papers for grammar and spelling!

Grading Policy

· No extra-credit options will be allowed except as announced in class

· If you are ill, have a family emergency, or must be away for a University-sponsored event, then we must have written verification such as a death notice, a doctor’s excuse, or a letter from the coach. Makeup examinations will be given at our discretion.

· When exams/papers are handed back in class, you have 24 hours to identify arithmetic errors on our part

· If you would like to have an exam question re-graded, you must submit it with a WRITTEN explanation of your arguments and the entire exam within a week after it was returned in class

· We will gladly speak with you about the material thereafter but absolutely no grade changes will be made once the one-week period has elapsed