Objectives: Despite being the unifying concept of the life sciences, evolution is often considered, by biologists and non-biologists alike, to be little more than organic trivia - a footnote to "hard science." This view may result from ignorance. The purpose of this course is to explore the predictive and explanatory power of evolutionary biology, to examine the fundamentals of organic evolution, such as Darwin's perspective (and those of his critics) on natural selection, and to synthesize the conceptual advances in evolution with significant aspects of population genetics, molecular biology, and behavioral ecology. A single section of this course is offered in the spring semester of odd years.

Prerequisites: General Botany (Biol 201) , General Zoology (Biol 212), and Genetics (Biol 250)

Credit Value: 3

Contact Time: Three 50 minute lectures per week.

Outcomes: Upon completion of the course the student should:

• have an appreciation for the size and time span of the universe and solar system
• be familiar with chemical evolution
• appreciate how chemical evolution may have given rise to life forms
• understand the role of symbiosis in evolution
• be aware of the role of mutation in diversity
• be aware of the role of chromosome changes in diversity
• understand the role of natural selection in evolution
• appreciate the role played by polymorphism
• understand how population genetics and the laws of chance may influence evolution
• understand the evolution of sex
• understand how isolating mechanisms may alter a population
• understand the process of speciation
• appreciate the role of geological patterns in the evolution of life forms
• be familiar with the sequence of events in human evolution

Assessment:

• Quizzes
• Term Tests
• Problem Sets
• Paper
• Presentations
• Final examination

• NOTE: Assessment methods may vary among instructors

Lecture Schedule:

• Antecedents of Modern Evolutionary Biology
• Biodiversity, Evolutionary Ecology, and the Niche
• Evolution and Population Genetics: Heredity
• Evolution and Population Genetics: Mutation
• Evolution and Population Genetics: Genetic Variability
• Evolution and Population Genetics: Population Structure
• Natural Selection
• Sexual Selection
• Constraint and Adaptation
• Constraint and Adaptation: Levels of Selection
• Constraint and Adaptation: Group Selection
• Constraint and Adaptation: Evolution of Sex
• Species and Speciation
• Evolutionary History
• Evolutionary History: Fossil Evidence
• Evolutionary History: Molecular Evidence
• Rates of Evolution
• Punctuated Equilibrium
• Allometry, Heterochrony, and Development
• Human Evolution
• Behavioral Evolution
• Behavioral Evolution: Game Theory and ESS
• Behavioral Evolution: Host-Parasite Relationships
• Behavioral Evolution: Aggression

• NOTE: Emphasis and order may vary among instructors.