Biology 15: Genetic Variation and Evolution

Winter 2012

M, W, F, 11:15-12:20; x-hour, T 12:00-12:50

105 Life Sciences Center

 

 

 

Michael R. Dietrich

26 Life Sciences Center

646-1389

Office Hours: Monday 12:30-2 , Tuesday 1-2, or by appointment

 

Course Description

This course will provide an overview of the major processes of evolution below the species level. We will concentrate on the mechanisms of evolutionary change and how they are modeled using practices from population and quantitative genetics.  We will also consider the nature and limits of various forms of selection, problems of classification and phylogenetic inference, as well as the roles of random drift in molecular evolution.

 

Students are expected to (1) carefully read the assigned material before class,  (2) enthusiastically participate in class discussion, and (3) diligently prepare for all exams and labs.

 

Teaching Assistants:

Jeff Lombardo

Tom Kraft

Gillian Moritz

 

Laboratories:

Laboratory Coordinator:  Craig Layne

            We will be offering laboratory sections on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday afternoons, 2-6pm, 104 LSC.

            You can sign up for lab sections on the first day of class, January 4th.

 

 

Texts:

- Douglas Futuyma, Evolution, Second Edition Sinauer, 2009.

- William Patten, Directions for Taking Evolution. The Dartmouth Press, 1924-5.

-Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species (1859), Ch. 3.

- C. A. Driscoll, et al., ÒThe near eastern origin of cat domestication,Ó Science 317 (2007) 519-523.

- S. J. Gould and R. C. Lewontin, "The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique of the Adaptationist Programme," Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B, 205, NO. 1161 (1979), PP. 581-598.

- Sewall Wright, ÒThe Roles of Mutation, Inbreeding, Crossbreeding and Selection in EvolutionÓ, Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Congress of Genetics 1 (1932) 356-366.

- Motoo Kimura, "Evolutionary Rate at the Molecular Level," Nature 217 (1968), 624-626.

- Jack King and Thomas Jukes, "Non-Darwinian Evolution," Science 164 (1969), 788-798.

- Kevin deQueiroz, ÒSpecies Concepts and Species Delimitation,Ó Systemic Biology 56 (2007), 879-886.

- G. Sander Van Doorn, et al., ÒOn the Origin of Species by Natural and Sexual Selection,Ó Science 326 (2009), 1704-1707.

 

Evaluation

Exam #1                                20%                January 24

Exam #2                                20%                February 7

Exam #3                                20%                February 21

Final                                       20%                March 10th, 8am

Lab                                         20%

 

Disability Notice:   Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations is requested to speak to me by the end of the second week of the term, all discussions will remain confidential, although the Student Disabilities Coordinator may be consulted to verify the documentation of the disability.

Religious Holidays:

Some students may wish to take part in religious observances that occur during this academic term.  If you have a religious observance that conflicts with your participation in this course, please meet with me before the end of the second week of the term to discuss appropriate accommodations.

 

The Social Contract at Dartmouth:

            When you decided to attend Dartmouth, you agreed to join an academic community and to dedicate yourself to the Òpursuit of intellectual and personal growth.Ó  In doing so you agreed to follow the Standards of Conduct described in the Student Handbook.  One of these standards is that you must not Òintentionally disrupt, interfere with, or obstruct teaching.Ó  I interpret this standard to mean that it is your responsibility not to deliberately interfere with the learning of any Dartmouth student.  Because cellphone and laptop use have the potential to interrupt teaching and learning in this classroom, I have set the following policies:

Cell Phones:  Cell phone use during class is not allowed. Please be sure all cell phones are turned off or disabled before class starts.

Laptops:  You are welcome to use portable computing devices of any sort in this course provided that you are using them to directly further your education in this course and provided that this use does not significantly interfere with the learning of others in the course.  Please refrain from checking email, browsing the internet, visiting chat rooms, and anything else that is not directly relevant to this course.  While you may be willing to accept the consequences of giving less than your full attention to a class meeting, your computer screen is not private in this classroom and can distract other students who do want to fully engage with this course. 

 

The Honor Principle: According to the Dartmouth College Student Handbook, "Fundamental to the principle of independent learning are the requirements of honesty and integrity in the performance of academic assignments, both in the classroom and outside. Dartmouth operates on the principle of academic honor, without proctoring of examinations. Students who submit work which is not their own or who commit other acts of academic dishonesty forfeit the opportunity to continue at Dartmouth."

The provisions of the Academic Honor Principle are published in the Student Handbook and the Bulletin of Organization, Regulations, and Courses. They can also be found at:

HTTP://www.Dartmouth.edu/~uja/honor/index.html

This Principle is an important part of your Dartmouth experience. Honesty and integrity in everything you do here form the foundation of the academic pursuit of knowledge.

 

Schedule (subject to change):

 

 

Date

Topic

Reading

Problems

W

1/4

Introduction

Patten

 

F

1/6

Ever Since Darwin

Darwin

 

M

1/9

The Problem of Design

Chapter 1

1.1, 1.2, 1.4

T

1/10

Discussion of Darwin

Darwin

 

W

1/11

Trees of Life

Chapter 2

2.1, 2.2

F

1/13

Phylogenetic Inference

Chapter 2

2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7

M

1/16

No Class

 

 

T

1/17

Discussion on Phylogenetics

Driscoll et al.

 

W

1/18

Patterns and Trends

Chapter 3

3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.7

F

1/20

Sources of Genetic Variation

Chapter 8

8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.6

M

1/23

Population Genetics: Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

Chapter 9, Wright

9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4

T

1/24

Exam 1

 

 

W

1/25

Population Genetics: Mutation and Migration

Chapter 9

9.6

F

1/27

Genetic Drift

Chapter 10

10.1, 10.2, 10.3

M

1/30

Adaptation and Natural Selection

Chapter 11

11.2, 11.3, 11.5

T

1/31

Discussion of Adaptationism

Gould and Lewontin

 

W

2/1

Levels of Selection

Chapter 11

 

F

2/3

Modeling Selection

Chapter 12

12.1, 12.2, 12.3

M

2/6

Quantitative Traits

Chapter 13

13.1

T

2/7

Exam 2

 

 

W

2/8

Quantitative Genetics

Chapter 13

 

F

2/10

No Class

 

 

M

2/13

Molecular Evolution

Chapter 19

19,1, 19.2, 19.3, 19.4, 19.5, 19.6

T

2/14

Discussion of Neutral Theory

Kimura, King and Jukes

 

W

2/15

Molecular Evolution

 

 

F

2/17

Genome Evolution

Chapter 19

19.7, 19.8, 19.9

M

2/20

Conflict and Cooperation

Chapter 14

14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.4, 14.6, 14.7, 14.8

T

2/21

Exam 3

 

 

W

2/22

Sexual Selection

 

 

F

2/24

The Evolution of Sex

 

 

M

2/27

Species

Chapter 15

15.1, 15.2

T

2/28

Discussion of Species

deQueiroz

 

W

2/29

Species

Chapter 15

 

F

3/2

Speciation

Chapter 16

16.1, 16.3, 16.4, 16.5

M

3/5

Speciation

Chapter 16

 

T

3/6

Discussion of Speciation

Van Doorn

 

W

3/7

Review

 

 

 

LABORATORY SCHEDULE

 

9 January     Evolution in Darwin's Finches
16 January    Phylogeny
23 January    Evolutionary Genetics Modeling
30 January    Heritability in Fruit Flies
  6 February    More Heritability in Fruit Flies
13 February     Selection in Goldenrod Galls
20 February    More Selection in Goldenrod Galls
27 February    Exaptative Immunity