Download Plant Evolution - York University – Faculty of Science

BIOL 4130.03 PLANT EVOLUTION
Dr. J.S. Shore, rm 204 Lumbers
Dept. Biology, York University
Email [email protected]
http://www.yorku.ca/shore/
COURSE SCHEDULE
Two 1-hour lectures weekly on Monday and Wednesday 1:30-2:30 room LSB 107
One lab/seminar per week Thur 2:30 – 5:30 room 126 Lumbers
This lab will consist of roughly 4 practical or demonstration
periods, 4 project periods and 4 seminar periods.
GRADING SCHEME
Test 1. midterm 15% date Thursday Oct 17th, 2013
Test 2. final 30% data tba
Seminar 10%
Essay 20% TBA
Phylogenetic Research project 15% TBA
Lab performance, short write-ups and participation 10%
1. COURSE SUMMARY
This is an upper-level course in plant evolution involving concepts from evolutionary biology
and related disciplines including genetics, systematics, and ecology.
It is concerned with the analysis of patterns of variation among plants and the evolutionary
processes which brought them about. The course will begin with a
brief introduction to evolutionary biology and is followed by a discussion of the types and
methods by which variation is regulated in plant populations.
Topics include: speciation, hybridization, coevolution, reproductive strategies and their
evolution, phylogenetics and adaptive radiation.
This course is really geared to 4th year students since it is an advanced course in plant evolution
and requires that you have mastered a body of knowledge in the fields of evolution,
population genetics, statistics and ecology.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of this course, students should :
Have an appreciation for the kinds of questions asked, and approaches taken, to study plant
evolution.
Analyse data indicating which characters are subject to direct or indirect selection.
Construct a phylogeny using DNA sequence data
Interpret the data on levels of genetic variation within and between plant populations and species
and the factors regulating this variability.
Understand the cytogenetic phenomenon involved in plant evolution, and their effect(s) on
recombination and reproductive isolation
Understand how various plant breeding systems might enhance outcrossing, and/or male or
female fitness and be able to interpret the data
Have an ability to understand the scientific literature in plant evolutionary biology
2. REFERENCES
A. This is an upper-level undergraduate course that relies heavily on research papers published in
journals. Journals which you may find useful include:
American Naturalist; Ecology; Evolution; Genetics; Heredity; Journal of Ecology; Systematic
Biology; Taxon; Canadian Journal of Botany; American Journal of Botany;
Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics.
There isn't a text book for this course and I have listed a number of books below that might be of
value for various topics we cover.
The book by Briggs and Walters (1997) perhaps gives the best overall coverage although it will
also be missing certain fields we will consider.
B. USEFUL BOOKS
1. Barrett, S.C.H. (ed) 1992. Evolution and Function of Heterostyly. Springer, New York
2. Briggs, D. and S.M. Walters. 1997. Plant Variation and Evolution.Cambridge
University Press, 3rd edition.
3. Davis, P.H. and V.H. Heywood. 1963. Principles of angiosperm taxonomy.
McGraw-Hill, World University Library Series. NY.
4. de Nettancourt, D. 1977. Incompatibility in Angiosperms. Springer, New York.
5. Dirzo, R. and J. Sarukhan (eds). 1984. Perspectives on Plant Population Ecology.
Sinauer, Mass.
6. Dobzhansky, T. et al. 1977. Evolution. Freeman, San Francisco.
7. Doyle JJ. and B.S. Gaut (eds). 2000. Plant Molecular Evolution. Kluwer, Boston
Available online as it was originally published as an issue in the journal Plant Molecular Biology
V42(1) pp. 1-272
8. Ford, E.B. 1975. Ecological Genetics. Halstead, New York.
9. Frankel, R. and E. Galun. 1977. Pollination Mechanisms, Reproduction and
Plant Breeding. Springer, New York.
10. Franklin-Tong V.E. (ed) 2008. Self-Incompatibility in Flowering Plants.
Springer, Berlin.
11. Grant, V. 1971. Plant Speciation. Columbia, New York.
12. Harder, L.D. and S.C.H. Barrett (eds). 2006. Ecology and Evolution of Flowers.
Oxford University Press NY. Book can be accessed online through the York Library system.
13. Harper, J.L. 1977. Plant Population Biology. Academic Press, NY.
14. Jones, D.A. and D.A. Wilkins. 1971. Variation and Adaptation in plant species.
Heinemann Educational Books, London.
15. Judd, W.S. et al. 2008. Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach. 3rd ed. Sinauer,
Mass.
16. Kawano, S. (ed). Biological Approaches and Evolutionary Trends in Plants.
Academic Press, New York.
17. Levin D.A. 2002. The Role of Chromosomal Change in Plant Evolution. Oxford
University Press, NY.
18. Lewontin, R.C. 1974. The Genetic Basis of Evolutionary Change. Columbia, New
York.
19. Lloyd, D.G. and S.C.H. Barrett. 1996. Floral Biology. Chapman. NY.
20. Lovett Doust, J. and L. Lovett Doust (eds.) 1988. Plant Reproductive Ecology.
Oxford, New York.
21. Richards, A.J. 1986. Plant Breeding Systems. Allen, Boston.
22. Soltis, D.E. and P.S. Soltis (eds.). 1989. Isozymes in Plant Biology. Dioscorides
Press, Portland.
23. Stebbins, G.L. 1950. Variation and Evolution in Plants. Columbia, New York.
24. Stebbins, G.L. 1971. Chromosomal Evolution in Higher Plants. Addison-Wesley,
Toronto
25. Stebbins, G.L. 1974. Flowering Plant Evolution Above the Species Level. Belknap,
Cambridge.
26. Willson, M.F. 1983. Plant Reproductive Ecology. Wiley
27. Wyatt, R. 1992. Ecology and Evolution of Plant Reproduction. Chapman and Hall,
New York.
3. COURSE OUTLINE
I. EVOLUTIONARY THEORY
Introduction
History of evolutionary theory
Neo-Darwinism
Evolutionary Forces
Mutation, Genetic Drift, Natural Selection, Migration (Gene flow)
Genetic variation in populations
For a reviews of Isozyme variation in plant populations read
Hamrick et al. 1979. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 10:173-200
Loveless and Hamrick. 1984. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 15: 65-95.
For reviews of variation DNA marker and sequence variation in plant populations read
Nybom 2004. Molecular Ecology 13: 1143–1155
Glemin et al. 2006. Proc. R. Soc. B (2006) 273, 3011–3019.
Population structure
Genetic polymorphism and supergenes
Artificial and natural selection
Gene pools and speciation
Species concepts
II. CYTOGENETICS
Read Hegarty and Hiscock 2008. Genomic Clues to the Evolutionary Success of Polyploid
Plants
Karyotype variation
Polyploidy
Translocation heterozygosity
III.BREEDING SYSTEMS
Reproductive systems
Regulation of recombination
Vegetative reproduction
Apomixis
Outbreeding mechanisms, general
Dioecism
Heterostyly
Inbreeding mechanisms, general
Evolution of autogamy
IV. ISOLATING MECHANISMS AND HYBRIDIZATION
Classification of isolating mechanisms
Origin of isolating mechanisms
Hybridization
Stabilization of hybrids
Introgression
V. EVOLUTION AT THE “COMMUNITY LEVEL”
Coevolution and mimicry
Plant-insect interactions
Cyanogenesis and chemical defense
4. SEMINAR AND ESSAY TOPICS
Each student will choose one topic from the list of seminars. During the course, each person will
present a 15 minute seminar to the rest of the group on the chosen topic.
After the seminar presentation the individual will answer questions on the material covered.
The class is expected to participate by asking questions following the seminars and may also be
graded on this.
The student giving the seminar should prepare a short summary of the seminar (250 words or so)
and I will post the summaries on the course website.
In addition, all students will complete a review paper (essay) on the chosen subject. It should be
roughly 10 pages in length, it may include additional figures or tables and you should probably
cite 10 - 15 publications in your review. You may format the essay any way you feel is
appropriate. If you like, you could format it to look reviews published in the Annual Reviews of
Ecology and Systematics, or other Annual Reviews.
5. PHYLOGENETICS LAB PROJECT
During the course each student will complete a research project that will involve phylogenetic
analysis using DNA sequence data in GENBANK.
Details of the projects will be discussed in the lab.
Projects should be fully analyzed and written up in the format of a scientific publication.