Download Foundation Scholarship 2016

Foundation Scholarship 2016/17
Biology
General Contact: Prof. John Rochford [email protected]
As ‘Biology’ is a very broad subject area and Senior Freshman students may take up to 40 credits
of ‘Biology’ modules (with over 60% of them opting for ‘Biology’ disciplines in their Sophister
years), it is appropriate that ‘Biology’ should offer two separate options for Foundation
Scholarship. These are as follows:
Biology 1 – Molecular, Cellular and Systems Biology
Biology 2 – Evolution, Biodiversity and the Environment
Both options will be examined by means of two, two-hour papers, with students answering two
questions from four on each. Paper 1 (the ‘general’ paper) will be based on a theme, for which
some special reading will be set as an introduction, while Paper 2 (the ‘course’ paper) will be
based on material covered in the Freshman Biology modules, but examined at a level appropriate
to Foundation Scholarship.
Biology 1 – Molecular, Cellular and Systems Biology
(Prof. Frank Wellmer [email protected] and Prof. Adrian Bracken [email protected])
Paper 1 will be based on the theme outlined below.
Paper 2 will be based on material covered in modules BY2201, BY2202 and BY2203.
Theme:
Genetic Control of Stem Cell Fate
Stem cells are found in both animals and plants, and provide the precursors for organogenesis as
well as for the formation and the replenishment of the multitude of different cell types found in
multicellular eukaryotes. In recent years, much progress has been made in elucidating the genetic
mechanisms that control stem cell fate. To this end, a wide range of experimental approaches
from genetics, genomics, molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry has been employed.
While exploiting animal stem cells for therapeutic purposes is currently a main focus of medical
research, this year’s theme for the Foundation Scholarship Examinations firmly emphasizes the
basic, rather than the applied, biology of stem cells.
Students should review the material on the reading list (below) but should extend the learning
process outside of this list to gain a comprehensive understanding of stem cell biology in the
different kingdoms. They should pay special attention to the mechanisms that control stem cell
maintenance and fate, and identify commonalities and differences between these mechanisms in
plants and animals.
References:
Evans, M. 2011. Discovering pluripotency: 30 years of mouse embryonic stem cells. Nature
Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 12:680-686.
(http://www.nature.com/nrm/journal/v12/n10/abs/nrm3190.html)
Adam, R.C. and Fuchs, E. 2016. The Yin and Yang of Chromatin Dynamics In Stem Cell Fate
Selection. Trends in Genetics 32:89-100.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016895251500205X)
Lund, R.J., Närvä, E. and Lahesmaa, R. 2012. Genetic and epigenetic stability of human
pluripotent stem cells. Nature Reviews Genetics 13:732-744.
(http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v13/n10/abs/nrg3271.html)
Solter, D. 2006. From teratocarcinomas to embryonic stem cells and beyond: a history of
embryonic stem cell research. Nature Reviews Genetics 7:319-327.
(http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v7/n4/full/nrg1827.html)
Orford, K.W. and Scadden, D.T. 2008. Deconstructing stem cell self-renewal: genetic insights into
cell-cycle regulation. Nature Reviews Genetics 9:115-128.
(http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v9/n2/full/nrg2269.html)
Greb, T. and Lohmann, J.U. 2016. Plant Stem Cells. Current Biology 26:R816-821.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982216308648)
Soyars, C.L., James, S.R., and Nimchuk, Z.L. 2016. Ready, aim, shoot: stem cell regulation of the
shoot apical meristem. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 29:163-168.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369526615300042)
Fisher, A.P. and Sozzani, R. 2016. Uncovering the networks involved in stem cell maintenance and
asymmetric cell division in the Arabidopsis root. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 29:38-43.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369526615001715)
Sablowski, R. 2004. Plant and animal stem cells: conceptually similar, molecularly distinct?
Trends in Cell Biology 14:605-611.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0962892404002624)
All of the papers listed above are in e-journals available from the College Library as PDFs. Simply
cut and paste the URL into the address bar at the top of the page and click return. If you
encounter any difficulties, contact the Biology Office. For further information you can also email
this year’s Biology 1 coordinators, Prof. Wellmer and/or Prof. Bracken, putting ‘Schol Reading’ in
the subject field.
Biology 2 – Evolution, Biodiversity and the Environment
(Prof. Yvonne Buckley [email protected])
Paper 1 will be based on the theme outlined below:
Paper 2 will be based on material covered in modules BY1102 and BY2204
Theme:
Species invasions in the Anthropocene
Humans have moved species from their native ranges to other parts of the planet for thousands of
years. These movements have occurred by accident and by design and large areas of land, sea and
freshwater habitats are either currently invaded or vulnerable to future invasion. A wide range of
impacts can occur due to species invasions including local species extinctions, altered ecosystem
function and changes in ecosystem services provided to humans. Invasive species are a threat to
native biodiversity and can also cause direct and indirect economic and social damage to human
populations.
As humans continue to modify the surface and atmosphere of the planet the environment for
native and non-native species is changing. What can we expect from these highly modified
ecosystems with new abiotic and biotic components in the Anthropocene? How should invaded
ecosystems be managed and how should uninvaded ecosystems be managed? Do we still need to
worry about invasive species? In the Anthropocene will we be able to maintain standards of living
for humans and space for nature? Will the “nature” of human modified and dominated habitats
become homogeneous throughout the world?
These are some of the important questions about the future of the planet that can be approached
by considering species invasions in the Anthropocene.
Early, R., Bradley, B.A., Dukes, J.S., Lawler, J.J., Olden, J.D., Blumenthal, D.M., Gonzalez, P.,
Grosholz, E.D., Ibañez, I., Miller, L.P., Sorte, C.J.B., and Tatem, A.J. 2016. Global threats from
invasive alien species in the twenty-first century and national response capacities. Nature
Communications 7:12485.
(http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12485?WT.feed_name=subjects_invasive-species)
Vila, M., Espinar, J.L., Hejda, M., Hulme, P.E., Jarosik, V., Maron, J.L., Pergl, J., Schaffner, U., Sun, Y.
and Pysek, P. 2011. Ecological impacts of invasive alien plants: a meta-analysis of their
effects on species, communities and ecosystems. Ecology Letters 14:702-708.
(http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01628.x/full)
Pejchar, L., and Mooney, H.A. 2009. Invasive species, ecosystem services and human well-being.
Trends in Ecology & Evolution 24:497-504.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169534709001761)
Corlett, R. T. 2015. The Anthropocene concept in ecology and conservation. Trends in Ecology &
Evolution 30:36-41.
(http://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/abstract/S0169-5347(14)00226-2)
Buckley, Y. M., and Catford, J. 2016. Does the biogeographic origin of species matter? Ecological
effects of native and non-native species and the use of origin to guide management. Journal
of Ecology 104:4-17.
(http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2745.12501/full)
Sarrazin, F., and Lecomte, J. 2016. Evolution in the Anthropocene. Science 351:922-923.
(http://science.sciencemag.org/content/351/6276/922.full)
Hulme, P. E., and Le Roux, J.J. 2016. Invasive species shape evolution. Science 352:422-422.
(http://science.sciencemag.org/content/352/6284/422.2.full)
Once again, all of the papers listed above are in e-journals available from the College Library as
PDFs. Simply cut and paste the URL into the address bar at the top of the page and click return.