Biology 124 -- Ecology and Evolution

Lectures and Assignments Fall, 2009

Textbooks

Rose, M.R., and L. D. Mueller. 2006. Evolution and Ecology of the Organism. Pearson Prentice Hall.


Date

Lecture Topic
Reading (sections or pages)

Aug. 25

Introduction; hypotheses, surveys, experiments
pp. 3-9

Aug. 27

Evolution introduction
pp. 10-23

Correlation is not causation.*

Sep. 1

Darwin's postulates and evidence
pp. 30-42, 70-71

Sep. 3

Sources of variation; Hardy-Weinberg model
pp. 76-91

Sep. 8

Natural selection and adaptation
pp. 125-143

Evolution is the tie that binds all of biology together.

Sep. 10

Genetic drift; inbreeding; migration; sexual reproduction

pp. 118-122, 344-345, 531-549

Sep. 15

Sexual selection
Chapter 19

Sep. 17

Kin selection; research in behavioral ecology
pp. 582-599

Altruism can be explained by natural selection.

Sep. 22

 Agents of selection -- physical factors; biomes
pp. 255-263, pp. 475-499

Sep. 24

                                                        TEST I
covers through Sep. 17

Sep. 29

Agents of selection -- competition

Chapter 12

Oct. 1

Agents of selection -- predation
Chapter 13

Oct. 6

Agents of selection -- mutualism and parasitism
Chapter 14

Good and poor places exist for every species.

Oct. 8

Population growth
pp. 297-304

Oct. 13

Age structure and life tables
pp. 231-237

Oct. 15

Research in ecology and evolution

Oct. 20

Population regulation
pp. 305-314

Oct. 22
TEST II
covers Sep. 22-Oct. 20

No population can increase without limits (density dependence).

Oct. 27

Speciation and adaptive radiation
Chapter 6

Oct. 29

Macroevolution and phylogeny
pp. 43-65

Ecological systems are the products of evolution.

Nov. 3

Human evolution and altruism
Chapter 21
Nov. 5
 Community structure; species-area relationships
 pp. 444-446
Nov. 10
 Island biogeography pp. 447
Nov. 12
 Ecological succession pp. 448-449
Nov. 17
 Disturbance, competition, predation
 pp. 450-461
Nov. 19
 TEST III covers Oct. 27-Nov. 17
Nov. 24, 26
Thanksgiving Break

Communities can undergo succession.
Keystone species may be essential to a community.

Dec. 1

 Energy flow and pathway of elements
pp. 438-443, pp. 464-473

Dec. 3

Conservation biology
pp. 500-506, Chapter 17


Conservation depends on economic, political, and biological issues.

Dec. 10
FINAL EXAMINATION -- 0800 to 1000


"Take home messages" based on C. J. Krebs (The Message of Ecology) and S. Freeman (Biological Science).

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