Principles of Evolution (BSCI 370), Fall 2010Instructor: Dr. Charles B. Fenster, Biology/Psychology Bldg. Rm. 3233,

cfenster@umd.edu

Meeting time: 11-12:15, Tuesday and Thursday, PLS 1140Office Hours: by appointment, and open “office hours” on Mondays 1-2 PM, Room:

BPS 3233

For course information, including hand-outs etc., go to Charles B. Fenster lab web page:

http://www.life.umd.edu/biology/fensterlab/and click on Evolution 370 for course information.

Teaching Assistant: Frank Stearns, office hours: Tuesdays 130-230, Thursdays 5-6:30 Rm 3206 B/P, FStearns@umd.edu

Exams: There will be two 1 hr and 15 minute exams during the semester, each worth 100 points, and a final 3rd exam during the Final Exam Period, worth 200 points. The final exam will be on material not covered in Exams one and two (100 pts) and ½ on material covered in exams 1 and 2. The lowest exam score of your first two exams will be dropped. The final counts towards your grade. Total exam grade = 300 pts.

Exams will consist of definitions, problems, short answer questions and multiple-choice questions and will come exclusively from lecture material. Lectures will mirror the textbook. The readings from Darwin will reinforce points made in the text book and in class.

You can earn X-tra credit by turning in relevant questions to the exam review sessions (1-3 pts/exam). These are questions you have on the material, not questions you think should be on the exam. Questions for the review must be turned in by Wednesday noon prior to a Tuesday exam and Monday noon prior to a Thursday exam. Questions must be typed or hand-printed (clearly), but must be turned in via hard copy, and only placed in my mailbox in Rm: 1210 Biology/Psychology Bldg. Total opportunity for X-tra credit = 12 points.

You can also earn X-tra credit (5-10 pts) if you write a brief!! 1-2 page double space essay on what you learned by attending the Smithsonian's exhibit on human origins: http://humanorigins.si.edu/ 

Also, rarely, if a question arises in class you can turn in a report addressing that question (with my permission) for approximately 5 pts.

Essays: 25, 60, 15 and 100 points (Total = 200 pts). There will be 4 reports, the first two < 3 pages (for essay 1 and 2), essay 3 is limited to 1.5 pages or less and will be turned in a part of the second exam, and the fourth essay will be < 5 pages (essay 4) (typed, Font = 12, double space, one inch margins for all essays). The essays focus on Darwin’s thoughts, using quotes and then evidence from the textbook to support or confute his conclusions or those of his critics. Your essay grades will reflect your ability to integrate what you have learned in class in terms of with Darwin’s thoughts on the topic. Use Bold FONT to let us know you are using specific concepts or keywords or phrases you have learned in class. Your first report will be worth 25 pts, the second 60 pts, the third essay will be question in exam II and worth 15 pts, and the final essay will be worth 100 points. Reports are to be turned in to class the day they are due. Essays should have your name and topic listed at the top, and all references listed at the BEGINNING of the essay. Again essays 1 and 2 can only be 3 pages long (we will not read beyond the third page). Note essay 3, to be brought to exam II, will be very brief. Essay 4 must be no longer than 5 pages. Essay 1 (25 pts): Compare Darwin chapters 10 and 12 with what we have learned and summarized in chapter 2, “The Pattern of Evolution” Essay 2 (60 pts): Compare Darwin chapters 1-4 with what we learned and summarized in chapters 3, 5 and 6 in Freeman and HerronEssay 3 (15 pts, part of exam II): Essay 3 will be turned in at the exam, and please limit yourself to 1- 1.5 pages. Using chapter 4 from Darwin and material from chapter 11 from Freeman and Herron, discuss how asymmetric limits on reproductive success may lead to sexual selection and discuss the behavioral consequences for the different sexes, USE at LEAST 3 examples from the text. Essay 4 (100 pts): Parents and Teachers against the Dover area school board.

Grade Assignment:

Total: 500 points

A+       476-500A         460-475A-        448-459B+       435-447           B          410-434B-        397-409C+       385-396C         360-384C-        347-359D+       310-346D         295-309D-        280-294Failure < 280

Tutorial and Friday Socials

Date TopicAugust 31 Introduction, Sources of Variation Chapter 1

Darwin: IntroSeptember 2 HIV Chapter 1

HW 1September 7 Pattern of Evolution Chapter 2

Darwin: 10 & 12September 9 Darwinian Natural Selection Chapter 3

Darwin: 1 & 2HW 2HW1 key

September 14 Estimating Phylogeny Chapter 4Essay 1

September 16 Mutation & Genetic Variation Chapter 5HW 3HW 2 key

September 21 Mendelian Genetics & Selection Chapter 6Darwin: 3 & 4

September 23 Mendelian Genetics & Selection continued Chapter 6HW 4HW 3 key

September 28 Mendelian Genetics & Selection Continued Chapter 6 September 30 Migration, Drift, Nonrandom Mating Chapter 7

HW 5HW 4 keyEssay 2

October 5 Exam I Chapter 1-6

Note: Darwin assignments serve as important background material in addition toserving as the source for your essay assignments. The essays will help you study for the exams.

October 7 Migration, Drift, Nonrandom Mating Continued Chapter 7HW 6HW 5 key

October 12 Migration, Drift, Nonrandom Mating Continued Chapter 7October 14 Evolution of Sex Chapter 8

HW 7HW 6 key

October 19 Evolution of Sex Continued Chapter 8October 21 Quantitative Genetics Chapter 9

HW 8HW 7 key

October 26 Quantitative Genetics Continued Chapter 9October 28 Quantitative Genetics Continued Chapter 9

HW 9HW 8 key

November 2 Form and Function Chapter 10November 4 Form and Function Continued Chapter 10

4HW 10HW 9 key

November 9 Sexual SelectionA dramatic example (courtesy of a student in the class):

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8354000/8354788.stm

Chapters 11Darwin: 4

November 11 Sexual Selection Continued Chapter 11HW 11HW 10 key

November 16 Exam II Chapters 7-11ESSAY 3

November 18 Kin SelectionAre you your grandmother's favorite: a case for kin selection?

Chapter 12

November 23 Speciation Chapter 16(483-502)HW 12HW 11 key

November 25 Thanksgiving NO CLASSNovember 30 Aging Chapter 13December 2 Human Health Chapter 14

HW 13HW 12 key

December 7 Human Evolution Chapter 20December 9 Human Evolution Chapter 20

HW 14HW 14 key

December 138 AM - 10 AM

Final ExamMonday December 13: 8 AM - 10 AM

50%: Chapters 12, 13, 14, 16 & 20 50%: Previous material

Evolutionary Perspective

Tree of Life

Evolution 370

• How did this diversity arise?• What are the selective agents responsible

for evolution of specific traits (adaptive value)?

• What are the genetic and environmental processes that underlay evolution?

• How can I better understand the natural world around me, including humans (morphology, behavior, diseases, etc.)

Eucaryotes

Cambrian Explosion of Diversity

Plants

cooksonia

Seed plants

What is the origin of biological diversity?

• Mutations

• Sex = Recombination = Meiosis

This view of the shallows of Shark's Bay, Australia, shows a colony of living stromatolites. ©Isao Inouye (University of Tsukuba), Mark Schneegurt (Wichita State University), and Cyanosite (blue-green algae, cyanobacteria)

Mixing ChromosomesFrom DifferentParents

Independent Assortment Again

Chromosome Behavior &Independent Assortment

More Genetic Diversity: Mixing Genes Within a Chromosome