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Lecturer(s)
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Course content
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1. Natural selection. Charles Darwin and his dangerous idea. Darwin's predecessors, contemporaries and followers. The structure of evolutionary theory - the mechanism of natural selection (variability, inheritance and selection) and the "descent with modification". Artificial selection. Proximate and ultimate causation. The evidence for evolution. 2. Neodarwinism. Neo-Darwinism and the Modern Synthesis. Selection: intraspecific and interspecific; soft and hard; directional, stabilizing and disruptive. Haldane's dilemma. Neutral evolution. Sexual selection. Handicap principle. Runaway selection. Balancing selection. Frequency-dependent selection. Evolutionarily stable strategies. Red Queen hypothesis and coevolution. Group selection. Kin selection. Eusociality. Relationship between genotype and phenotype. Extended phenotype. Evolution of parasitism. From the eclipse of Darwinism to The Selfish Gene. Selfish genetic elements. Genetic conflicts between the sexes and parent-offspring conflict. Evolution of sexual reproduction. Genetic drift. Founder effect and bottleneck effect. Effective population size and sex ratio. 3. Adaptation. What is an adaptation? The "Panglossian Paradigm" and structuralism. Evolutionary constraint, exaptation, and "spandrel". Dollo's law. Lamarckism and neo-Lamarckism. Baldwin effect. Phenotypic plasticity. Epigenetics. Cultural evolution. Micro- and macroevolution - from incremental changes to the history of life on Earth. Does species selection exist? Orthogenetic evolution. Cambrian explosion and the origin of phyla. Significance of whole-genome duplications. New body plans. Diversity and disparity. Evolution of ontogeny. Gradualism or punctuated equilibria? Haeckel's Recapitulation theory. Irreducible complexity. 4. The tree of life. The basics of tree-thinking. Why do we need phylogenies? Anagenesis and cladogenesis. Numerical taxonomy and cladistics. Homology - orthology and paralogy, primary and secondary homology. Parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian phylogenetic inference methods. Horizontal transmission - from cladograms to "cloudograms". Time-calibration of phylogenetic trees. Phylogenetic comparative approach in biology and ecology - phylogenetic correction, phylogenetic community structure, etc.
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Monologic (reading, lecture, briefing)
- Class attendance
- 40 hours per semester
- Preparation for classes
- 30 hours per semester
- Preparation for exam
- 30 hours per semester
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Learning outcomes
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This course provides and introduction to evolutionary biology. It describes key evolutionary processes, both micro- (variability, inheritance, selection and drift) and macroevolutionary (evolutionary novelties, speciation and extinction). It describes the relationship between micro- and macroevolution, evolution and ontogeny, and evolution and phylogeny and emphasizes the importance of phylogenetic approach in biology and ecology using a multitude of case studies.
Students will learn about the mechanisms of evolution by natural selection, about key micro- and macroevolutionary processes and their interactions. They will become familiar with theories and methodologies relevant to study of evolution and will understand the processes through which knowledge about evolution was developed. They will also appreciate the multidisciplinary nature of evolutionary biology and its relationship to other scientific disciplines.
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Prerequisites
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There are no specific entry requirements for this course.
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Written examination
Written examination consisting of three questions, each evaluated separately on a scale of 1-4. The final average must be at least 3.
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Recommended literature
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Dawkins, R. (1976). The Selfish Gene. Oxford: Oxford University Press..
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Gould, S. J. (1980). The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History. New York: Norton..
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Ridley, M. (2004). Evolution, 3rd edition. Oxford: Blackwell..
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Stearns, S. C., & Hoekstra, R.F. (2005). Evolution, an Introduction, 2nd Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press..
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