Course Description
Variation and evolution in plants, genotypic and phenotypic patterns, genetic diversity, adaptation, breeding systems, polyploidy, hybridization, apomixis, empirical data in population genetics and evolution, literature, experimental design, population sampling, variation analysis, breeding techniques, data presentation, population analysis, and molecular evolution.
Athena Title
Plant Variation and Evolution
Prerequisite
(BIOL 1108 or BIOL 2108H) and (GENE 3000-3000D or GENE 3000E or GENE 3000H)
Semester Course Offered
Offered spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course is designed for students who want relatively in-depth coverage of current research in plant evolutionary biology. A broad range of topics will be covered – measuring genetic diversity and its distribution within and among populations, pollen and seed dispersal, plant breeding systems, genetic drift, landscape, conservation and restoration genetics, etc. The conceptual basis of each topic will be covered and then supported by empirical examples. The focus throughout the course will be the estimation and description of processes and patterns in natural plant populations. Lecture material will assume a basic knowledge of genetics and evolutionary biology. The data analysis labs will familiarize students with commonly used population genetic software programs and the interpretation of the output.
Topical Outline
Introduction to Evolutionary Processes Quantitative Genetic Variation Genetic Markers Genetic Variation at Single Loci Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium Population Genetic Structure Patterns of Intraspecific Variation Phylogeography Genetic Relatedness Spatial Genetic Structure Inbreeding and Inbreeding Depression Estimation of Plant Breeding Systems Breeding Structure Within Populations Gene Flow between Populations Neighborhood Sizes Gene Flow vs. Dispersal Evolution of Plant Breeding Systems Landscape Genetics Effective Population Size Genetic Drift Natural Selection and Adaptation Speciation Hybridization and Introgression Coevolution Chromosomal Variation Fragmentation (Conservation Genetics) Restoration Genetics Climate Change