Download biology 201 fall semester 2015 ecology and evolution

BIOLOGY 201
FALL SEMESTER 2015
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
INSTRUCTORS:
Dr. Christopher Willett
2252 Genome Science Building
Office Phone: (919) 843-8663
e-mail:
[email protected]
Office Hours: Tues. 10am; Friday 2pm
Dr. Mara Evans
104A Wilson Hall
Office Phone: 919-843-7107
e-mail: [email protected]
Office Hours: 11:30 -12:30 (M), 2:30-3:30 (T), 11:30-12:30 (W)
Teaching Assistants:
Nick Levis
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours and Location: TBD
LECTURES:
Miranda Welsh
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours and Location: TBD
11:00-12:15 Tuesday and Thursday, GSB G200.
RECITATION: You must be registered for one of the following sections: 701-708 (NOTE: 601608 sections are for Drs. Evans and Burch’s BIOL 201 course). Please see the recitation
syllabus for more details on this portion of the course.
BIOLOGY 201 WEBSITE: Sakai will be the primary medium for communications in this class
outside of lecture. We will post material for class there so check it regularly. We encourage you
to use Piazza, an online discussion forum, to engage in out-of-class discussion. Information
about how to join Piazza can be found on the Sakai site.
PREREQUISITES: BIOL 101, and CHEM 101 or 102 with a grade of C or better.
PHILOSOPHICAL BACKGROUND FOR ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION:
G.E. Hutchinson wrote a book called The Ecological Theatre and The Evolutionary Play. In it, he
points out that the drama of evolution is played out in an ecological context. Ecological
processes like interactions with the physical environment, competition, and predation are the
mechanisms that drive evolution. The actors in the evolutionary drama are ecological entities
(populations). Since all biological processes are ultimately part of evolution, ecology and
evolution are intimately intertwined. The ecological interactions involving populations, species,
communities and ecosystems all have evolutionary consequences. All environmental issues
have an ecological basis and both ecological and evolutionary consequences. Global warming,
ozone depletion, deforestation, overpopulation, etc. result from the actions and interactions
between organisms and their environment. Species frequently must adapt to changed
environmental conditions via evolution and acclimation or face extinction.
UNIFYING THEMES:
Two concepts help unify this course. One is the role of diversity. We will consider many types
of diversity from diversity of life, and its evolution during the history of the earth, to genetic
diversity (the variety of genotypes in a population or species), which fuels evolution; to species
diversity (the variety of species in a natural community), which stabilizes ecosystem processes.
Diversity is fundamental to evolution, population biology and ecology. The other unifying
concept is spatial and temporal heterogeneity. All systems are variable in space and time.
This idea underlies the development of new species, genetic drift, predator-prey dynamics,
coexistence of competing species, seasonality, and the structure and dynamics of communities
and ecosystems. We will organize the course by using these conceptual threads to weave a
coherent understanding of the interrelationships between ecology and evolution. Because
evolution and ecology are sciences, we teach these concepts in the context of the scientific
method.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Our primary goal for Biology 201 is to help you to understand the process of evolution and the
processes that govern the distribution and dynamics of ecological systems. We will explore the
problems and challenges of understanding how organisms interact with each other and their
environment. Ultimately, we want you to:
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Understand how evolutionary and ecological systems work. Ecological and evolutionary
processes are occurring in complex natural landscapes with varying environmental
conditions. Your challenge in BIOl 201 is to decipher which attributes of the landscapes
are essential to ecological and evolutionary outcomes and which are extraneous.
Learn how to think ecologically and evolutionarily.
Practice reading and interpreting graphs. Ecology and evolution are data intensive,
therefore, knowing how to interpret written and visual information is essential.
Demonstrate your understanding by being an active participant in your own learning. Do
not just expect this course to be about the exchange of facts!
Understand how evolution works, how species evolve and how evolution is ongoing and
visible in the modern world.
Explain how the interaction of organisms with the environment and each other shapes
communities, ecosystems and patterns of biological diversity.
Develop the tools and framework to apply ecological and evolutionary reasoning to
persistent issues, such as environmental and health problems.
Who are your instructors?
Chris Willett- I first came to the UNC biology department in the fall of 2002. Before coming to
UNC I was in San Diego for 3 years (where I started working on evolution in a copepod
species), preceded by a stint in upstate NY at Cornell for graduate school (working on the
evolution of pheromone communication and speciation in moths) after having grown up in
Michigan. My research focuses on evolutionary genetics and I am currently working most
extensively with an intertidal invertebrate (a copepod species) as a model for studying
speciation and adaptation. Two questions that I am addressing in this species are how do
populations of copepods adapt to local conditions in their environment (particularly thermal
environment) and what are the genetic changes that underlie the initial stages of reproductive
isolation and speciation.
Mara Evans- I am a life-long learner of ecology, and feel privileged to teach my favorite subject
to help others shape their identities as scientists. I studied ecology as an undergraduate at the
University of California, San Diego, and later also completed my PhD in ecology at the
University of California, Davis. My dissertation work focused on how invasive species alter the
ecosystems they invade, specifically, how an invasive aquatic snail from New Zealand affected
leaf litter decomposition in freshwater streams. During my graduate work I also became heavily
invested in how biology is taught at the university. Specifically, I am interested in how graduate
students develop as instructors, and how out-of-classroom support (such as academic advising)
help undergraduate students complete their biology degree.
COURSE ORGANIZATION: This course is divided into two main parts:
In Part I, Evolutionary Biology, we start with an examination of the development of the
concept of evolution and the primary mechanism of evolution (i.e. natural selection) before
turning to population genetics and gaining an understanding of how natural selection and other
evolutionary forces operate at the population level. Typically when we think of selection we think
of survival, but in fact reproduction (and obtaining reproductive opportunities) is equally
important; we will spend some time studying this form of selection, sexual selection. This half of
the course will finish with macroevolution which is an examination of patterns of evolution above
the species level. Here we will consider speciation (the process of one species splitting into two
species) which is the engine the drives the diversification of life. We will also consider adaptive
radiations on a small scale and a large scale (the diversity of life on earth) and how we can
reconstruct the evolutionary history of these radiations (through phylogenetics). Finally we will
end by examining an evolutionary radiation with only one surviving, extant species, Homo
sapiens and the evolution of pathogens that infect humans.
In Part II, Ecology, we will use what we learned in part I of the class to understand how
evolution is driven by how species interact with each other and their environment. To
accomplish this we will focus on four core principles to guide our learning: ecological currencies
(such as matter, energy and individuals), tradeoffs, networks and feedback. We will examine
these core principles at different levels of ecological organization, from ecosystem to individual.
Throughout this part of the course you will be asked to apply your understanding of evolutionary
and ecological principles to examine current pressing ecological questions, that are still being
addressed by scientists today!
EXAMS AND COURSE GRADING
Category
Exam I
Exam II
Final Exam
Participation
(Poll Everywhere and Reading Questions)
Recitation
TOTAL
Percent of Grade
20%
20%
40%
5%
15%
100%
The final is cumulative, but the midterms are not. Examination grades will be posted on the
gradebook of the Sakai website. Half of the final will test the last section of ecology lectures and
half will be a cumulative final from the entire course. For each lecture, there will be a list of
reading and lecture goals, posted in advance on Sakai. You should use these goals to direct
your reading and determine if you understand the key concepts from the material.
Grading: Your letter grade will be based on the sum of your performances on quizzes, in-class
participation, exams, and recitation according to the following scale. Based on previous
experience we would expect the median grade for the class to be about a B- and if grades are
lower than this we will adjust everyone’s grades upwards to meet this expectation.
A:
A-:
B+:
B:
B-:
93-100%
90-93%
86-90%
83-86%
80-83%
C+:
C:
C-:
D:
F:
76-80%
73-76%
70-73%
65-70%
<65%
Participation
• Lecture questions: We will be using Poll Everywhere (PE) as our classroom response
system. Registration instructions are available at http://help.unc.edu/CCM3_033949.
ALL students should follow the registration instructions on this page. Please do not sign
up at polleverywhere.com. Please use YourPID_YourOnyen to identify yourself
(eg. 12345789_onyen). Please be sure you are registered with PE before the first class.
You can access PE on any mobile devise that has wi-fi access. We recommend a phone
or a tablet, but you may bring your laptop to class if you wish (but see the Digital
Etiquette section below). Remember that when using a web browser to respond to poll
questions, you need to log into your PE account first. There will be many opportunities
for participation throughout the semester, and you will be given 6 “freebie questions” to
take into account technical difficulties or unexpected absences. These are questions that
you do not have to submit an answer to. As such, please do not email us about making
up poll questions. Lecture questions will be graded based on effort, not based on a
correct answer.
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Reading Questions: The SimuText ebook we will use for the ecology portion of the
course has questions at the end of every section. These are graded for correct answers
and must be completed by 6am the day of class. For reading assignments, please see
the class schedule below.
Regrades: Grades in both lecture and recitation (including final course grades) will be changed
only in the event that a question was mis-graded or if points were totaled incorrectly. Regrades
must be requested in writing (i.e. on paper, either computer-printed or clearly hand-written, NOT
emailed) and submitted 10 days from when the exam or assignment was returned to you (your
exams will be returned in recitation). Regrades must be given to the professor or put in his/her
mailbox. We reserve the right to regrade any portion of an exam submitted for a regrade, and to
either add or subtract points to correct grading errors.
Recitation: Your recitation section meets once a week. The recitation grade will constitute 15%
of your final grade. You are assigned to one recitation section and you must attend that section.
The recitation will complement the lecture material and coordinate with the lecture sequence. It
will be a mini-lab, containing computer simulations, and discussions. Check your recitation
schedule and plan accordingly.
HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN BIOL 201:
Attendance in lectures is essential for success in this course. If you must miss a lecture,
obtain a set of notes from a friend (we will also post some lecture slides on the course website).
If you have done the reading before the lecture it will be much easier for you to understand the
lectures and to participate in the discussions. After class, go back to the book and study the
points we have stressed. There is more in the books than we can cover in class. Reading the
entire chapter (indeed the entire book) will improve your understanding of the subject. You are
responsible for knowing all the material assigned, but exams will emphasize material covered in
class, whether it’s recitation or lecture.
Uphold the Honor Code. Academic honesty means that we respect each other and the work
that we do; this means we behave with integrity in and out of the classroom, and do not lie,
cheat or steal (e.g. plagiarism is a form of stealing). The University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill has had a student-led honor system for over 100 years. It is our responsibility to report any
instances of academic dishonesty and violations of the Honor Code. The student-led Honor
System is responsible for adjudicating any suspected violations of the Honor Code. All
suspected instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Honor System and students
will receive a zero on the assignment or exam in question. Your full participation and
observance of the Honor Code is expected. Please report any violations that you observe.
Information, including your responsibilities as a student is outlined in the Instrument of Student
Judicial Governance (here:
https://studentconduct.unc.edu/sites/studentconduct.unc.edu/files/documents/Instrument.pdf).
College can be challenging in unexpected ways. It is possible that at some point this
semester your multiple competing personal responsibilities and interests may get in the way of
your academic success. It is also possible that you may get sick or have other personal
emergencies. The bottom line is this: asking for help is a sign of strength and self-care! Please
ask for help early and often! Small problems are easier to cope with than escalated issues, or
waiting until the end of the semester. While we sincerely hope that you will let us know when
things are not going well, here are other campus resources you can turn to, as well:
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Academic Advising: Your academic advisers are familiar with all of the campus
policies, procedures and requirements.
Website: advising.unc.edu
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Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): If you are experiencing any distress
please speak with a medical professional in a confidential setting. The CAPS office has
daily drop in hours or you may call them for an appointment (919-966-2281) or schedule
online (healthyheels.unc.edu).
Website: campushealth.unc.edu/services/counseling-and-psychological-services.
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LGBT Center: Provides educational services, resources and advocacy.
Website: lgbtq.unc.edu
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Carolina Women's Center: Aims to provide an equitable working and educational
environment regardless of gender. Provides assistance to all individuals regardless of
gender orientation.
Website: womenscenter.unc.edu
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International Student and Scholar Services: offers services to help international
students adjust to life in North Carolina and UNC.
Website: isss.unc.edu
DIGITAL ETIQUETTE -- MULTITASKING IS A MYTH!
This course will require you to use your laptop and/or cell phone during class time. Please be
respectful of your classmates and restrict your use of digital devices to course content. Despite
what you may know about yourself, multi-tasking is actually a myth and the brain cannot
perform two or more tasks simultaneously. Please be respectful of your own learning and those
around you who will be distracted as you scroll through Instagram.
If we see that you or your peers are distracted, we will ask you to put your devices away and
you may forfeit your ability to earn participation points that day. There will be times when you
have completed your work or answered a poll question, but your peers have not. We ask that
you assist your peers when appropriate or use the time to review your notes while you wait. We
understand that your devices connect you to your friends and family, but the classroom should
be a place apart, however briefly, from the outside world and distractions. You will learn more if
you concentrate on the course while you are here, and your classmates will thank you for not
impeding their ability to learn.
We, your professors, reserve to right to make changes to this syllabus, including project due
dates and test dates (excluding the officially scheduled final examination), when unforeseen
circumstances occur. These changes will be announced as early as possible so that students
can adjust their schedules.
TEXTBOOKS: In the syllabus:
BD = Bergstrom, C. T., and L. A. Dugatkin. 2012. Evolution W. W. Norton, New York, NY. (ISBN
978-0-393-92592-0)
SIM = SimUText. Purchase access code at the bookstore. Instructions for how to download and
install are on the Sakai site.
SCHEDULE NOTE: Dr. Willett will lecture from August 19th until October 6th. Dr. Evans will
lecture from October 8th until the end of the semester.
Date Topics EVOLUTION 18-­‐Aug What is evolution? Connections between ecology and evolution; misconceptions about evolution; history of evolutionary thought Reading BD-­‐CH1, CH2 20-­‐Aug Darwinian evolution and quantitative traits. Darwin and natural selection; morphology and quantitative traits; heritability and response to selection BD-­‐CH3 (read first half, skim pg. 82-­‐
99) BD-­‐Ch9: 291-­‐
298, 318-­‐332, CH6, CH7: 203-­‐216 BD-­‐CH7: 217-­‐
228 25-­‐Aug Genetics, variation and selection. Heritability and response to selection (cont.); modes of selection; Mendelian genetics; Hardy-­‐Weinberg equilibrium. 27-­‐Aug Population genetic and selection. Introduction to single-­‐locus selection models; maintenance of polymorphism 1-­‐Sep Mutation, migration and selection. Mutation and selection; gene flow 3-­‐Sep Migration, genetic drift and selection. Migration/selection balance; genetic drift and population size BD-­‐CH7: 228-­‐
241 BD-­‐CH8:243-­‐
276 8-­‐Sep Genetic drift and molecular evolution. Neutral theory; molecular clocks, selection at the molecular level BD-­‐CH8: 276-­‐
289 10-­‐Sep Molecular evolution (cont.) and sexual selection. Sexual selection and levels of selection. Mating systems and operational sex ratio; male-­‐male competition and female choice BD-­‐CH17; (look at CH18 p611-­‐615) 15-­‐Sep Sexual Selection (cont.) and kin selection. Group and species selection; kin selection; evolution of altruistic behavior BD-­‐CH18: 585-­‐604; Ch15 p532 BD-­‐CH4, CH5: 137-­‐148, 160-­‐175 17-­‐Sep Phylogenetics and comparative method. Building and understanding trees; using the comparative method 22-­‐Sep Exam 1: Note exam covers lecture material up to and including 15-­‐Sep. (i.e. not phylogenetics) 24-­‐Sep Species and speciation. Species definitions, isolating mechanisms; role of BD-­‐CH14: geography in speciation 455-­‐482 29-­‐Sep Adaptive rations and diversity. Explosive speciation on islands; extinction, fossil record; history of life, macro trends BD-­‐CH15: 499-­‐526, CH13: 440-­‐
444 1-­‐Oct Human evolution. Recent ancestry of humans; origin of modern humans 6-­‐Oct Evolution and Disease. Evolution of flu virus; evolution of virulence ECOLOGY 8-­‐Oct Introduction to Ecology. What is Ecology? How do Ecologists study the world? Exploring connections between climate and biodiversity. 13-­‐Oct Ecosystem Ecology 15-­‐Oct HOLIDAY -­‐-­‐ Fall Break 20-­‐Oct Nutrient Cycling 22-­‐Oct Adaptation and Acclimation 27-­‐Oct Life History + Geometric Population Growth 29-­‐Oct Exponential and Logistic Population Growth 3-­‐Nov EXAM 2: Note exam covers lecture material from 17-­‐Sept through 29-­‐
Oct. (both ecology and evolution) 5-­‐Nov Competition BD-­‐CH14: 482-­‐497 BD-­‐P341-­‐344, 656-­‐662 SimUText (complete prior to class) Biogeography (Sec 4: 1-­‐12; Q69-­‐71); Ecosystem Ecology (Sec 1: 8-­‐11, Sec 2: 1-­‐11; Q11-­‐
12) Ecosystem Ecology (Sec 2: 16-­‐21, Sec 4: 1-­‐13; Q46, 68-­‐70) Nutrient Cycling (Sec 1: 11-­‐18, Sec 2: 1-­‐3, 8-­‐21; Q17, 27-­‐30) Physiological Ecology (Sec 2: 1-­‐17; Q24-­‐
26) Life History (Sec 2: 1-­‐16, Sec 3: 1-­‐11; Q22-­‐26, 47-­‐
48) Population Growth (Sec 2: 1-­‐13, Sec 3: 1-­‐16; Q18-­‐
22, 38-­‐40) Competition (Sec 1: 1-­‐5, 11-­‐12, Sec 3: 1-­‐26; Q65-­‐
69) 10-­‐Nov Predation 12-­‐Nov Community Ecology: Food webs 17-­‐Nov Disturbance, Succession, Stability 19-­‐Nov Island Biogeography 24-­‐Nov Biogeographic Diversity Patterns 26-­‐Nov HOLIDAY -­‐-­‐ Thanksgiving 1-­‐Dec Global ecology and anthropogenic impacts 10-­‐Dec 12 pm Final Exam (cumulative) Predation (Sec 1: 1-­‐2, Sec 2: 1-­‐14; Sec 3: 1-­‐23; Q23-­‐24; Q48-­‐
50) Community Dynamics (Sec 3: 1-­‐15, Sec 4: 1-­‐9; Q29-­‐30, 34, 35) Community Dynamics (Sec 2: 1-­‐23; Q11-­‐14) Biogeography (Sec 2: 1-­‐26; Q33-­‐40) Biogeography (Sec 3: 15-­‐24; Q60-­‐61) Ecosystem Ecology (Sec 5: 1-­‐12; Q78-­‐
79)