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PRIMARY TEXT: No primary text is required for this course. Sometimes students ask for textbook recommendations, even though a text is not required . The following books are recommended. However, both of these books contain much more material than required for this course..
Futuyma, Douglas J. Evolution (2nd edition). 2009, Sinauer Associates. Bergstrom & Dugatin Evolution.
2011 Univ. (Online versions are available at discounted price at the
publisher’s websites.
You will also find some of the topics discussed in this course in any good General Biology textbook, e.g. chapters on meiosis, Mendelian genetics, molecular genetics etc. Many topics in evolution are also introduced at varying levels of complexity, and often with excellent graphics, in these textbooks.
You are REQUIRED to read the hypertext links on the Lecture Schedule. Most of the information presented in lectures could also be supplemented by some other websites on the internet. For a general review of many topics including genes, Mendelian genetics, recombination etc, check out KIMBALL'S Biology Pages. You should be very careful with the evolution websites you read however, as not all of them are scientifically solid, or even scientifically oriented. A good place to start is the page Evolution on the Web for Biology Students.
From time to time, course notes or other materials relating to specific topics may be distributed or made available on the web page.
Additional texts (Recommended But Not Required):
Coyne, Jerry A., Why Evolution Is True, 2009. Viking The best, non-technical overview of Evolution, written by as famous practitioner of the science. Extremely readable, strongly recommended. Not at text book, but a great non-technical survey of the entire field of evolution.
Carroll, Sean B., The Making of the Fittest, 2006. W.W. Norton A terrific introduction to the evolution of genes, development, macroevolution etc. Strongly recommended.
This is an abridged version of Dawkins, Richard, TheGreatest Show on Earth, 2010. Free Press
(Paper) A MUST
READ if you are interested in the evidence for evolution, not just from
biology, but also from other sciences.
Biology students should be aware of this information, but
unfortunately, we do not have time to cover most of it in class.
Quammen, David, The Reluctant Mr. Darwin, 2006. W.W. Norton An excellent and very readable introduction to Charles Darwin, and his world. Strongly recommended.
Judson, Olivia, Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation. 2002. Owl Books Humorous treatment of sex and sexual selection in the animal kingdom.
Additional readings:
You are responsible for the following additional readings. These include magazine or journal articles which may be assigned, or hyperlinks in the schedule.
New York Times Tuesday Science Section - You must read and be prepared to discuss articles relating to evolution and ecology. This material may be included in exams.
Introductory Essays Available on the Web: What is Evolution - by Lawrence Moran. An excellent discussion of the meaning of the term evolution for biology. Introduction to Evolutionary Biology - by Chris Colby. A good general introduction to evolution. Evolution is a fact and a theory - by Lawrence Moran Five Major Misconceptions about Evolution
- by Mark Isaak HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS Study Notes & Home Work - Lecture 1a
Science in General
1. Based on your knowledge from other sources, links in the web page, or other sources, review and be prepared to discuss :
The nature of science and the scientific method
The scientific meaning of ‘hypothesis’ and ‘theory’ (note that ‘theory’ as commonly used has a different meaning in science, e.g. the theory of relativity, germ theory, theory of evolution)
For a general review check out the web page: http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/0_0_0/whatisscience_03 (see other links in the course web page)
There are misconception about what science is and
is and isn’t. See the
What constitutes a fair test in science? Read: http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/0_0_0/fair_tests_01
What is the nature of ‘proof’? Is it possible to prove something to be true?
2. What is the role of experimentation in science?
3. How do scientist regard the supernatural?
Evolution
1. Is evolution the same as Darwinism?
2. Things dating, archaea, epigenetics, ribozymes, Hox genes to name a few. Can you make a list of 4 or 5 more?
4.
What role did Mendel play in
Natural Selection
1. What is the difference between Natural Selection, Evolution and Darwinism?
2. observations and 2 deductions:
Obs. 1 – Organisms exist as ‘populations.’ All populations have the potential to increase exponentially in population size
Obs. 2 – In general, population size varies over time but populations never continue to grow exponentially.
Ded . 1 – Natural environmental factors limit exponential growth by causing mortality (limited habitat, disease, starvation, crowding, competition etc).
Obs. 3 - In general, organisms are unique, each varying from other others in a range of measurable characteristics; many of these variations are heritable: traits which can be passed onto offspring, i.e. inherited.
Ded. 2 - Individuals who inherit a trait which confers even a slight advantage over other individuals in the struggle for existence are more likely to survive and reproduce than other individuals, and the trait which provided the benefit will be passed on to the next generation (natural selection). Over time, the favorable trait(s) will increase in the population as less beneficial traits decline and disappear. This is evolution.
5. The only requirements for natural selection are: (1) the trait under selection must be heritable (2) The trait must provide a benefit which ultimately results in *relatively greater lifetime reproductive success than other individuals which do not inherit the trait (3) The organisms bearing the trait must be capable of reproduction
6. periods. Complex structure could devolve from simpler structures as long as each step conferred a fitness benefit.
Note that selection acts
on the individual phenotype – a term unknown to
*fitness
Lecture 1b Study Notes -HOMEWORK –
Lecture 1b “MODERN SYNTHESIS’ What is “the Modern Synthesis” How does it differ from Using the internet or any other sources, read some biographical
information on the following: Alfred
Russell Wallace, Charles Lyell, Lamarck, Dobzhansky,
Asa Gray, Thomas Hunt Morgan, Ronald Fisher, J.B.S.
Haldane. Who were they and what role
did they play in the development of the Modern Synthesis For your information only; not to be turned in. _______________________________________________________ Practice
Questions for Exam 1 1. The
principal of natural selection is based on 3 observations and 2 deductions. The first
deduction can be expressed as a metaphor, “the struggle for existence”. Which
of the following would not be an example of the struggle for existence: a. food scarcity b. disease c. extreme climate variation d. reduction in fitness due to inbreeding e. predation 2.
Based on his
study of birth records in English church parishes, Thomas Malthus concluded
that: (circle the best answer) a. Food supply would outstrip population growth and
farmers would starve due to a lack of markets for
their produce b. The English government would be wise to send their
prisoners overseas to c. The great variety of pigeons produced by artificial
selection was a reflection of genetic variance d. Populations
grow exponentially but food supply increases linearly e. The rise of
industry in 3. Which
term best defines fitness: [Circle the best answer] a.
A species’
ability to compete with other species b.
The
reproductive success of an individual c.
An individual’s net reproductive rate d.
The number of
offspring contributed to the next generation relative to other individuals in
the population e.
The ability of
an individual to live longer than other individuals 4. Consider a population of 8 individuals
which, at a single locus with two
alleles, consists of the
following genotypes: YY YY Yy yy YY Yy YY Yy [Note:
You don’t need formulas or
equations to answer ‘a’ and ‘b”] a.
What is the
genotype frequency of the homozygous dominant genotype? (Answer with a
decimal) b. What is the gene frequency of the y allele?
________________________ 5. Peppered Moths (Biston
betularia) in and around gradually became darker over the period
from about 1850 to 1950 (a phenomenon
call ‘Industrial Melanism’). Most biologists now believe that this shift was caused by: [circle the best answer] a. Increasing human population density b. Shifts in agricultural practice toward greater use
of fossil fuels c. Dark moths have higher nutritional value to birds d. Lighter moths are more susceptible to air pollution e. Lighter moths are more likely to be captured and
eaten than darker moths 6. Consider a gene locus with 2 alleles (W,w) in Hardy-Weinberg
equilibrium. Which of the following best describes the
frequency of the w allele? a.
q2 +
pq b.
q2 +
2pq c.
p2 +
2pq + q2 d.
W = 1 - S e.
None of the
above 7. In
science, a theory: (circle the best
answer) a. permits prediction of outcomes which have not yet
been studied b. is based largely on a scientist’s intuition c. has to be proven correct, unlike hypotheses, which are
proven false. d. arises from a scientist’s ‘hunch’ regarding a
particular question e. is completely accepted in all aspects by all
scientists 8.
In evaluating coat color of Rock Pocket Mice, biologists have
concluded that: a. Coat color resulted from genetic drift b. All coat populations are caused by the
same gene c. Dark lava rocks caused the dark coat color
to evolve d. Dark coat color is selected against in the desert
because dark colors absorb heat e. The mutant gene for dark coat color is similar to
genes affecting coat color in laboratory mice 9.
Although the
largest gene family in mammals is the olfactory receptor family, in humans, half of the genes
in this family have ‘decayed’ into pseudogenes.
A likely explanation for this
is: a. Pseudogenes confer a selective advantage in humans b. Humans have no need for olfactory genes c. Alternate sensory mechanisms have evolved in humans d. Humans have lost the sense of smell e. Humans evolved in the old world, where olfaction is
less important to survival than in the new world 10. The evolution of a new gene locus is
primarily the result of a.
point mutations b.
changes in the
environment c.
macromutations d.
gene
duplications e.
frameshift mutations 11. Albinism is a condition
in which normal skin pigmentation fails to occur. It is inherited as a double recessive at the A locus, i.e. genotype aa
individuals are albinos.. One in every 20,000 babies is an albino. a.
Assuming that neither parent was albino, what was the genotype of an albino individual’s mother? ______________________ b.
What is the
frequency of the AA genotype in the population? 12. after
procrastinating (putting it off) for
20 years. His reluctance can be
attributed to: a)
his personal
religious beliefs b)
his wife’s
religious beliefs c)
a knowing
feeling that the story was incomplete d)
his realization
that a competitor had discovered the same principal e)
at the time, he
was sick and believe that he was about to die 13. Which of the following ideas is not
part of the ‘New Synthesis’? a)
Transposons are the major source of variation in mammalian
genomes b)
Important
character traits are controlled my multiple genes c)
Evolution
occurs in small populations d)
Genetic changes
in populations may result from genetic drift e)
Genetic
variation due to mutation is amplified by recombination 14. The “New Synthesis’
developed gradually beginning in the early 1900’s, and can be considered
- over simply – as a marriage of modern genetics and Darwinian concepts of gradualism and natural selection. According to the new synthesis, evolution should be defined as: a. A mutation which changes
the genotype of an individual b. A mutation occurring in
the ‘germ plasm’ of an individual c. A change in genotype which
is not due to genetic drift d. A change in gene
frequencies in a population e. A change in gene frequencies
in a population excluding changes due to genetic drift 15. In hampsters, a dominant
gene B codes for black coat color while the recessive gene b codes for gray. Assume that the following gene frequencies
exists and that the population is in Hardy-Weinberg
equilibrium B = 0.8 b = 0.2 What proportion of the population would
be black? 16. According to the
‘Neutral Theory of Molecular Evolution,’ the vast majority of evolutionary changes at the molecular level are
caused by random
drift of selectively
neutral mutants
(not affecting fitness). This theory
is most closely associated with: a. Mootoo Kimura b. J.B.S.Haldane c. Charles
Lyell d. Thomas
Hunt Morgan e. Julian
Huxley 17. When a frequency distribution of a particular trait
(e.g. height, skin color) from a population sample is plotted on a graph, the result
often is a bell-shaped curve. This pattern implies that: a. The trait is primarily
determined by environmental rather than genetic Factors b. The trait is primarily
determined by genetic factors c. The trait is controlled by
multiple genes d. Genes controlling the trait are in
Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium e. Genetic drift has played a roll in
determining the distribution of the trait 18. What do (1) Trypsin, Chymotrypsin and Elastase , (2) Lactate & Malate
Dehydrogenase,
and (3) the Pyruvate Dehydrogenas
family of enzymes share in common: a. Examples of gene
duplication followed by modification b. Result of transposon-induced mutations c. Examples of enzymes found
only in new-world primates d. Variants produced through
the genetic process of recombination e. Examples of artificial
selection Answers: 1, d; 2, d; 3, d; 4a, 0.5; 4b, 0.31; 5, e;
6, a; 7, a; 8, e; 9. c; 10, d; 11 a, Aa; 11b,
0.986; 12, d; 13, a; 14, d; 15, 0.96; 16, a; 17, c; 18, a |
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