Describe the basic tenets of ‘Darwinian evolution’: i) Tree of Life concept; ii) Natural selection, leading to adaptive evolution (including different modes of selection, and sexual selection) [BIOL 1010] Explain exponential population growth and intraspecific competition. [BIOL 1011]
Apply the breeders equation in its simple form to any set of observations (i.e. calculate any of the values if given the other values). [BIOL 3044] Comprehend different evolutionary models for genetic load and how these led to the neutral theory of molecular evolution. Understand and describe the “Neutral theory” and the “nearly neutral theory”. Know the major predictions of neutral theory and give examples where predictions have been validated with real molecular data. Comprehend both the benefits and pitfalls of neutral theory. [BIOL 3046] Define inbreeding and inbreeding depression [BIOL 3042] Demonstrate the relationship between critical thinking and good scholarship within a course project. [BIOL 3046] Discuss the genetics of invasive species [BIOL 3042] Know mechanisms for functional divergence at the molecular level that span a wide range of biological complexity. Understand how specific models of adaptive evolution explain real examples of functional divergence. [BIOL 3046] Know the historical, cultural, and social framework that lead to the Darwinian theory of evolution [BIOL 3046] Know updates and extensions to Darwinian theory that led to modern theory. Comprehend and explain principles arising from the neo-Darwinian synthesis and neutral theory. [BIOL 3046] Understand how explicit models of population genetic processes serve as the theoretical foundation for microevolution. Apply these models to understand different mechanisms of evolution acting on real biological data. [BIOL 3046] Understand how molecular evolutionary processes give rise to patterns of genetic diversity that we observe in the natural world, and how to use those patterns to make inferences about different processes. [BIOL 3046] Understand the importance of molecular evolution in the post-genomic era, and be able to explain this to non-specialists. [BIOL 3046] Use fitness functions (the correlation between ecological traits and fitness) to describe selection and predict responses. [BIOL 3044] Use knowledge of molecular evolution for clear and explicit communication and exchange of ideas about the topic within a course project. [BIOL 3046]
BIOL 2040
