BIOL 413 - EVOLUTION – Fall 2005

Instructor: Dr. Erik P. Scully; Office: Smith 261 (via 247); Office Hours: MW 9-10

Phone: 410-704-3012;  E-Mail: escully@towson.edu;

Literature Essay Topics

DATE      TOPIC (pages in Futuyma; H# - homework assignment; W – material on course web site)
8/30   Biology and Evolution; Darwin, Wallace, and Natural Selection (1-14) H1, H2,Natural Selection, ,  Darwin, Wallace, et al.
9/1     The Methodology of Evolutionary Biology (264-265) Philosophy of Biology Philosophical Status T. R. Malthus
9/6     Genetics Review: genes and chromosomes (303-304)  H3
9/8     Genetics Review: Molecular aspects
9/13   Fundamentals of Population Genetics (189-197)
9/15   Heritability and Genetic Variation Chetverikov Comments (199-222)
9/20   Genetic variation at the molecular level H4, Measures of Electrophoretic Variation
9/22   The Evolution of Sex and Recombination  Sex & Evolution (416-422)
9/27   Factors affecting variation: Population Size & Inbreeding (225-235; 197-199)
9/29   Factors affecting variation: Migration & Mutation Wahlund Effect (241-244; 161-185)
10/4   Simple Models of Selection (269-285)
10/6   Complex Models of Selection (286-293; 297-310)
10/11  Exam I
10/13  Selection: Case Histories (250-257; 293-294)
10/18  Selection: Case Histories (312-321)
10/20  Sexual Selection  H5, Sexual Selection (329-339)
10/25  Group & Kin Selection Kin Selection  (257-260; 325-328; 339-342)
10/27  What is a Species?  Species Definitions   (353-375) H6
11/1    Classical Speciation Scenarios  (379-396)
11/3    Contemporary View of Speciation  (Last day to Drop is 11/9) The Population Genetic View of Speciation
11/8    Speciation Case Histories (399-402)
11/10  Speciation in Plants (396-399)
11/15  Exam II
11/17  Earth History & Origin of Life (91-115)
11/22  Early Metazoan Evolution (143-148)
11/24 Thanksgiving Holiday - NOTE: Literature Essay Due 11/29
11/29  Extinction & Mass Extinction; Patterns of Diversification (148-157; 513-519; 83-89)
12/1    Evolution and Development  (473-497)
12/6    Evolution and Development 
12/8    Special Topics
12/15  Final Examination: 8-10AM

Text: Futuyma, D. J., 2005.  Evolution. Sunderland MA: Sinauer Associates.

WWW: Related links to World Wide Web sites can be found at:

Course Links:  http://www.towson.edu/~scully/biol413.html

Freeman & Herron Simulations: http://wps.prenhall.com/esm_freeman_evol_3/0,8018,848837-,00.html

Populus: http://www.cbs.umn.edu/populus/

BIOL 413 - Evolution

Comments & Policies

Introduction: Evolution is designed to be an advanced survey of the fundamental concepts of modern evolutionary biology.  The course will deal with the scientific explanation for the origin and diversification of living organisms as it was first proposed by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in 1858, and as it has grown and developed over the last 135 years.

This course will have three major themes.  First, that there are certain fundamental principles which may be applied to all living organisms which will help to understand their origins and subsequent evolutionary history.  This course will not survey the evolutionary history of any specific group of organisms (e. g., angiosperms, dinosaurs, humans), except where it will serve as an example of fundamental processes.

The second major theme is that science is a human endeavor.  The development of any area of science depends upon the contributions of a large number of individuals, each of whom has his or her own strengths, weaknesses, and philosophical perspective.  Evolutionary biology is typical in that there have been a number of controversies throughout its history, and the interplay between scientists and their views has done much to shape the field.  Part of this course, therefore, will focus on certain issues, the people involved, and the current status of the particular controversy.

Finally, the course will deal with current topics in evolutionary biology.  Recent years have seen a number of new concepts and controversies that both challenge and complement the basic principles of evolutionary theory, and discoveries in areas as diverse as molecular biology and paleontology have helped to broaden the perspective of evolutionary biology.

It is hoped that these three themes (basic principles, historical development, and current topics) will leave you with a better appreciation of evolutionary biology and the nature of science in general.

Academic Policies:  I have never experienced any instances of cheating and/or plagiarism in this course, but the University requires that I state clearly my response to such activities:

(1) If you are suspected of cheating on an examination, your paper will be confiscated, and you will receive a failing grade for that examination.

 (2) This course will involve a number of homework problems and "take home" essays.  I do not object to individuals either working together or discussing aspects of these assignments.  However, I expect that contributions among individuals will be balanced.  In other words, mere copying of one person’s assignment by another should be discouraged.  In addition, individuals who merely copy results may experience difficulty in interpreting results on examinations.

(3)  It is standard procedure when writing papers to identify explicitly all sources of information.  You are expected to do so for any sources other than the textbook, Lecture Notes, or the actual articles that are found in a packet (see below).

(4) Missed Examinations:  If you cannot take an examination at the regularly scheduled time, you are expected to make arrangements for a "make up" examination within 48 hours of the date of the original examination.

(5) Due Dates:  There will be NO EXTENSIONS granted for homework assignments, essays, or related assignments.

(6) Incompletes:  A grade of "Incomplete" will be issued only in cases of chronic illness or severe personal trauma.

Grading:  The grading system is structured as follows:

    Lecture examinations (2 @ 30% each)............60%
    Final examination (partly comprehensive).......30%
    Homework & computer assignments.................5%
    Literature essay (2 if enrolled in BIOL 513)..…5%

These grades will be added to produce a final grade based on 100 percentage points.  Letter grades will be assigned as follows: A:90 and above; B+: 85-89; B: 80-84; C+: 75-79; C: 70-74; D+: 65-69; D: 60-64; F: less than 60.

The Literature Essay: The purpose of this assignment is to expose  you to some current ideas in a specific area of evolutionary biology.  This will be accomplished by having you read a set of articles and requiring that you write a 3 to 5 page (double-spaced, typed) essay summarizing the articles.

The essay should synthesize the information; it should not be just a sequential synopsis of the articles.  You should compare and contrast the ideas discussed in the papers, and you should offer your own opinion as well.

The packets range in subjects from historical aspects of evolutionary biology, to the effect of plate tectonics on long term species diversity, to current views on sexual selection.  The contents of the packets are described in the Lecture Notes.  The packets are available in my office and must be returned within 5 working days.  There are additional topics based on articles in Slatkin (1995).  These will be described in an E-mail message as soon as you notify me of your address (see below).

Use of E-mail in BIOL 413

We will be using E-mail extensively in BIOL 413.  You are required to have an E-mail address either in the University system (see below) or at a valid Internet address (e. g., America Online, Comcast).  The steps to being added to the BIOL 413 class list are as follows:

Once you have your account, please send an E-mail message as follows:

Send to:  escully@towson.edu

Include the following information: Full Name, local phone number.

You should have completed this process no later than September 15, 2005.

The E-mail list will be used to distribute answers to homework questions, additional literature essay topics, answers to questions from students in the course, and miscellaneous information.

The first three homework Assignments.

All other assignments will be distributed via E-mail and will be available on the course web site.

(H1) Evolutionary biology, especially Paleobiology, often concerns itself with unique, historical events.  How does such research fit into the framework of science as you understand it?  In your opinion, how do the results of such research differ from an area of inquiry like Biochemistry?

(H2) The logical argument of Natural Selection is so simple that at least one of Darwin's contemporaries said that he felt foolish that he hadn't thought of it.  In fact, anyone with some common sense and a passing knowledge of the natural world can understand the logic of natural selection.  Write a non-technical explanation of the logical argument of natural selection for just such a person.  As a test, try your version on a friend, parent, significant other, etc., as long as they have at most a basic understanding of modern Biology.

(H3) All birds lay eggs.  There are no avian species with a reproductive system similar to placental mammals, and there are no ovoviviparous species that retain the eggs internally until they hatch.  Briefly describe how this phenomenon would be approached from a proximate vs. an evolutionary viewpoint.