Lecture Syllabus
This is a course in population ecology and population genetics with an emphasis on their relationship to principles of evolutionary and conservation biology. A thorough understanding of basic genetics (introductory biology level) is essential as is a familiarity with another sub-discipline in biology (e.g., behavior, cell, development) or a major group of organisms (vertebrates, invertebrates, plants). The material covered in this course is very synthetic. The more knowledge about biology that you bring to it the better. There will be two lectures and one laboratory lecture each week. Group conferences and video supplments will be arranged. There are two course texts that we will be using extensively. I have asked for four copies of each to be placed on reserve in the library. The first is Ecology (4th ed., 2000) by Robert Ricklefs and Gary Miller. The second is Evolution (2005) by Douglas Futuyma. Reading will also be assigned on a regular basis from the primary literature. There will be three short take home quizzes and a comprehensive final. Two oral presentations will be required on the laboratory portions of the course and homework will be assigned. A 10 page term paper on an independent research project will also be due one week after the course is completed.
| The following are important dates: | |
| 01/29/08 | First lecture |
| 01/29 and 01/31 |
First laboratory |
| 02/15 | First quiz due Friday 5 PM (Lectures 1 - 5) |
| 03/07 | Second quiz due Friday 5 PM (Lectures 6 - 11) |
| 03/11 and 03/13 | Oral presentations of laboratory work |
| 04/08 and 04/10 | Oral Presentation of Metapopulation Simulation |
| 04/21 | Third quiz due Monday 5 PM (Lectures 11 - 20) |
| 05/01 | Last Lecture |
| 05/09 | Independent projects due |
| TBA | Final exam |
| The following is a tentative lecture schedule (chapters or pages in the text are in parentheses): | |
| Date | Lecture |
| 01/29 | 01. The Darwinian revolution - from typological to population thinking (Ricklefs/Miller Chapter 1; Futuyma Chapter 1; Pigliucci 2007) |
| 01/31 | 02. Population Ecology. I. Distribution in space and time (Ricklefs/Miller Chapter 2 & pp. 271-286; Kokko and Lopez-Sepulcre 2006) |
| 02/05 | 03. Population Ecology. II. Tolerance limits and performance (Ricklefs/Miller Chpts. 3 (especially 49-51), 4 (82-89), 6, & 7(116-117, skim the rest); Futuyma pgs. 247-250; 260-263; Sultan 2007) |
| 02/07 | 04. Population Ecology. III. Ecological Niche (Structure) (Ricklefs/Miller pp. 599-604); Kearney and Porter 2004, abstract, introduction Figures and legends only) |
| 02/12 | 05. Population Ecology. IV. Functional Response Curves & Trade-offs (See Benard 2006 & McPhail 1984 on the Courses Server Bio366/References) |
| 02/14 | 06. Population Ecology. V. Ecological Niche (Dynamics); Grant & Grant, 2006 |
| 02/19 | 07. Population Ecology. VI. Population Size; mark-recapture methodology (Ricklefs/Miller pp. 298-302; 314-318; ) |
| 02/21 | Missed lecture carry over to next |
| 02/26 | 08 & 09. Population Ecology. VII & VIII.Population Growth: Deterministic Skeletons (Ricklefs/MillerChapter 16, 18) ; Cohen, 2003 | (Ricklefs and Miller pp. 302-313)
| 02/28 | 10. Population Ecology. IX. Population Regulation: Logistic Models and stochastic extensions. Higgins et al., 1997 Coulson et al.,2004 |
| 03/04 | 11. Population Ecology. X. Demography: mortality, fecundity. and age structure (Ricklefs/Miller pp. 290 - 297; 302-313); Coulson et al., 2001 |
| 03/06 | 12. Population Ecology. XI. Exponential Growth Model Extensions: logistic growth in age structured populations. |
| 03/11 | 13. Population Ecology. XI. Metapopulations, Population Fragmentation, Corridors, and Population Viability Analysis (Ricklefs/Miller Chpts. 17 & 19) |
| 03/13 | 14. Population Ecology. XII. Two-species interactions: Competition, Predator-prey relationships (Ricklefs/Miller Chapters 20 - 23) |
| 03/25 | 15. Population Genetics. I. Introduction to Eco-Devo (Futuyma Chpts. 2 & 3) Orr, 2005 |
| 03/27 | 16. Population Genetics. II. Tempo and Modes of Evolution and the genotype/phenotype schism (Futuyma Chpts. 8 & 9) |
| 04/01 | 17. Population Genetics. III. Quantitative Genetic Approaches: Sources of Variation - Developmental plasticity and Maternal Effects (Futuyma Chpts. 8 & 9) West-Eberhard, 2005 |
| 04/03 | 18. Population Genetics. IV. A closer look at population genetic structure and dynamics (Futuyma Chpts. 9 &10) |
| 04/08 | 19. Population Genetics. V. Environment, Developmental Plasticity, Maternal Effects: A Korean odyssey |
| 04/10 | 20. Population Genetics. VI. An introduction to neutral theory (Futuyma Chpts. 9 &10) |
| 04/15 | 21. Population Genetics. VII. Genetic Drift and Inbreeding (Futuyma Chpts 9 &10) (choose one of the following):Keller and Waller 2002; Pemberton 2004. |
| 04/17 | 22. Population Genetics. VIII. Genetic substructuring: consequences(Futuyma Chapts. 9, 10)Mills & Allendorf, 1996: |
| 04/22 | 23. Population Genetics. IX. Ecological and Genetic Structure/dynamics ; relation of dispersal to gene flow (Futuyma Chpts. 11 &12) |
| 04/24 | 24. Population Genetics. X. Molecular Evolution and an introduction to Natural selection. (Futuyma Chapter 11,12) |
| 04/29 | 25. Population Genetics. XI.Natural selection. II: Modes of selection and Fisher's theorem (Futuyma Chpts. 11, 12, 13) |
| 05/01 | 26. Population Genetics. XII. Shifting Balance Theory (Futuyma Chpts. 16 & 17) Cresko et al. 2007 |
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Last Modified 01/18/08
Questions/Comments to Robert.Kaplan@directory.reed.edu