Lecture: Advanced-level Evolutionary Biology (Fall Semester 2011)

Vorlesung: Evolutionsbiologie für Fortgeschrittene (Herbstsemester 2011)

Information about the lecture of Dr. Lukas Schärer (lukas.scharer-at-unibas.ch, http://evolution.unibas.ch/scharer/index.htm)

unicellular or multicellular?

 

complex genitalia

Location and Time of the lecture

The 2-hour (2x45 minutes) lecture takes place weekly on Wednesdays from 14:15-16:00 in the small lecture hall (kleiner Hörsaal) of the Vesalianum (Vesalgasse 1, first floor, enter the main building). The first lecture will take place on Wednesday, 28. September 2011.

Aim of the lecture

The aim of the lecture is to provide a detailed introduction to the main concepts in evolutionary biology and the most important evolutionary mechanisms. The participants will learn to approach biological problems and phenomena from an evolutionary perspective, they will read original research articles and discuss these in class.

In order to attend this lecture you should have previously attended the lecture 'Entstehung des Lebens und Evolution' of Prof. Ebert.

The following topics will be covered

Course materials

Week Date Lecture (14:15-16:00) Script Mandatory Reading Suggested Reading
1 21.9. First Meeting (Vorbesprechung) at 12:30      
2 28.9. Levels of Selection Levels.pdf Reeve&Keller1999.pdf -
3 5.10. Evolution of Individuality Individuality.pdf fromBuss1987.pdf Buss1987.pdf (31MB!)
4 12.10. Evolution of Development Development.pdf -

Cardona&al2005
Pongratz&Michiels2003

5 19.10. Genomic Conflict Genomic_Conflict.pdf - Haig1996.pdf
6 26.10. Genome Evolution Genome_Evolution.pdf fromMaynard_Smith1998.pdf -
7 2.11. Coevolution Coevolution.pdf -

Janzen&al2010
http://unionid.missouristate.edu/

8 9.11. no lecture (congress invitation)      
9 16.11. Sexual Selection Sexual_Selection.pdf fromBirkhead2000.pdf complete Birkhead 2000
10 23.11. Sexual Conflict Sexual_Conflict.pdf -

Chapman&al2003.pdf
Chapman2006.pdf

11 30.11. Sex Allocation Sex_Allocation.pdf Queller2006.pdf

Munday&al2006.pdf
Fig wasp movie (requires RealPlayer)

12 7.12. Sex in Simultaneous Hermaphrodites Sex_Hermaphrodites.pdf - Michiels1998.pdf
13 14.12. Cultural Evolution Cultural_Evolution.pdf - -
14 21.12. Examination      

Literature

Evolution by Stearns and Hoekstra

Evolution: an introduction, 2. edition (Stearns & Hoekstra 2005)

Part of the lecture relies on the book "Evolution: an introduction" by Steve Stearns & Rolf Hoekstra an (Oxford University Press, 2. Edition). Further book chapters and original research articles will be distributed during the lecture.

Examination

In order to pass the course each student has pass the examination (attending the lectures is not mandatory). The written examination will be held during the time of the lecture in the last week of the semester.