Evolution



Lecture notes for evolution here and here

11/4/11

 * cont. "Darwin's Dangerous Idea"

11/7/11

 * Evolution Misconceptions Diagnostic
 * fossil record (a bit about fossils)

11/8/11

 * answers for misconception diagnostic
 * fossil transitional record

**Fossil Record:**
The fossil record shows transitional forms from extinct organisms to modern extant organisms. Many examples exist: whale evolution, horse evolution, reptile-to-mammal , dinosaur-to-bird, human-ape and hundreds of others.
 * ===selective breeding... How is this evidence for evolution?===
 * [[image:teosinte_to_corn.jpg]] || [[image:Shilton_Pontius.jpg width="463" height="314"]] ||

Pedigree Dogs Exposed

 * ===homologous and analogous features... divergent and convergent evolution===

HW; Similarities and differences: understanding homology and analogy

11/9/11

 * "in what way are homologous and analogous features explained by evolution?"
 * analogous and homologous behaviors
 * identify homologous and analogous features from specimens

11/10/11

 * discussion of natural selection
 * playing card analogy -- randomness and nonrandomness of natural selection
 * PBS, Evolution, Evolutionary Arms Race

Nigel Tufnel Day!

 * PBS, Evolution, Evolutionary Arms Race

11/14/11

 * evolution: Great Transformations DVD

11/15/11

 * finish evolution: Great Transformations DVD

HW;

 * ===read Speciation through Cospeciation on Berkeley Evolution 101===

from **Understanding Natural Selection: Essential Concepts and Common Misconceptions**
Natural selection is a non-random difference in reproductive output among replicating entities, often due indirectly to differences in survival in a particular environment, leading to an increase in the proportion of beneficial, heritable characteristics within a population from one generation to the next. That this process can be encapsulated within a single (admittedly lengthy) sentence should not diminish the appreciation of its profundity and power. It is one of the core mechanisms of evolutionary change and is the main process responsible for the complexity and adaptive intricacy of the living world. According to philosopher Daniel Dennett (1995), this qualifies evolution by natural selection as “the single best idea anyone has ever had.” Published online: 9 April 2009, Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009

examples of natural selection in real time:

 * vampire moths, bacterial antibiotic resistance
 * "Survival of the Sneakiest"
 * "Natural Selection in Real Time;" study of Darwin's finches by the Grants

More good evidence for evolution and natural selection information in your hardcover textbook:

Big Black Raven and Johnson Text
Evidence for Evolution pgs. 458-468

Natural Selection pgs. 454-457

HW;

 * ===read Speciation through Cospeciation on Berkeley Evolution 101===

11/17/11

 * discuss "Natural Selection in Real Time"
 * discuss definition of species
 * barriers between gene pools
 * short speciation activity... allopatric or sympatric?

HW;

 * ===formative assessment over first set of assessment statement===
 * ===heart and lung test for those still needing to make it up===

11/18/11

 * evolution formative assessement

HW;

 * ===finish evolution assessment===
 * ===read pages 200, 202, 311-314 in Tiger book===

11/21/11

 * natural selection in a population activity
 * speciation activity

11/22/11

 * discuss frog speciation tutorial
 * TED talk on evolution of beauty

11/28/11

 * "Describe examples of barriers between gene pools."
 * [[image:mule.jpg]] ||  ||
 * allopatric and sympatric speciation
 * speciation by polyploidy, read Instant Evolution
 * another speciation animation

HW;

 * ===review speciation concepts===
 * ===pp. 471-488 in Raven and Johnson textbook has some more good examples and explanations of speciation (be sure to use the assessment statements as a guide)===

11/29/11

 * polyploidy example in book (pg. 313) of red viscacha, 102 chromosomes, cells twice normal size (evolved from 4n=112 ancestor)
 * convergent and divergent evolution (review of analogy and homology)
 * gradualism vs. punctuated equilibrium (read Pace of Evolution)
 * Fossil Patterns: Gradualism vs Punctuated Equilibrium

11/30/11

 * finish Fossil Patterns: Gradualism vs Punctuated Equilibrium
 * DBQ, 314 and 315

12/1/11

 * go over Gradualism vs Punctuated Equilibrium activity
 * go over evolution formative assessment
 * hand back heart and lung assessment

HW:

 * ===DBQs on pgs. 314, 315===
 * ===speciation assessment Monday, 12/5 (everything except polymorphism)===

12/2/11

 * go over DBQs
 * Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
 * read 436-437 in textbook
 * practice problems from Biozone book
 * H-W animation
 * this entry on Kimball Biology Pages is good

12/3/11

 * speciation formative assessment

HW:

 * ===review H-W readings (436-437)===
 * ===complete sample problems===

12/4/11

 * check H-W problems
 * H-W animation
 * this entry on Kimball Biology Pages is good
 * polymorphisms; transient and balanced
 * more [|problems]

**12/8/11**

 * H-W problems
 * Popgen fishbowl

**1/3/12**

 * work on Popgen fishbowl population lab

**1/4/12**

 * capstone release day
 * work on Popgen fishbowl population lab

**1/5/12**

 * Popgen fishbowl data analysis (Data Collection and Processing)
 * D.5, phylogeny and systematics
 * Making Cladograms activity
 * work day Friday (1/6)

HW:

 * ===The history of life: looking at the patterns from Evolution 101===
 * ===study/ review for evolution test===
 * ===evolution test: 5.4, D.5.6, D.2.1-D.2.9 -- Tuesday (1/10)===
 * ===data collection and processing due Wednesday (1/11)===

1/6/12

 * work day... study for test, work on lab, get help from teacher

1/9/12

 * substitute
 * phylogeny and cytochrome C lab
 * test Wednesday and lab due Thursday

1/10/12

 * questions on lab and test

For general purposes, not much. This site, along with many biologists, use these terms interchangeably — all of them essentially mean a tree structure that represents the evolutionary relationships within a group of organisms. The context in which the term is used will tell you more details about the representation (e.g., whether the tree's branch lengths represent nothing at all, genetic differences, or time; whether the phylogeny represents a reconstructed hypothesis about the history or the organisms or an actual record of that history; etc.) However, some biologists do use these words in more specific ways. To some biologists, use of the term "cladogram" emphasizes that the diagram represents a hypothesis about the actual evolutionary history of a group, while "phylogenies" represent true evolutionary history. To other biologists, "cladogram" suggests that the lengths of the branches in the diagram are arbitrary, while in a "phylogeny," the branch lengths indicate the amount of character change. The words "phylogram" and "dendrogram" are also sometimes used to mean the same sort of thing with slight variations. These vocabulary differences are subtle and are not consistently used within the biological community. For our purposes here, the important things to remember are that organisms are related and that we can represent those relationships (and our hypotheses about them) with tree structures. Understanding Evolution

1/12/12

 * discuss lab, graphing, trend line, error bars
 * work on:
 * The history of life: looking at the patterns

1/13/12

 * discuss Cytochrome C lab
 * read about molecular clocks

1/18/12

 * hand back exams
 * Khan Academy on Hardy-Weinberg
 * test on Hardy-Weinberg and Phylogeny/Systematics on Friday

1/19/12

 * balanced (e.g. natural selection favors heterozygote over either homozygote) vs. transient polymorphism (one form progressively replaced)
 * sickle cell allele, prion disease (kuru) examples


 * calculate observed vs. expected phenotype frequencies in exposed vs. unexposed populations
 * other Hardy-Weinberg
 * practice phylogeny (pg. 317 DBQ)

1/23/12

 * go over Hardy-Weinberg and phylogeny/systematics questions and assessment statements
 * review for test on 1/24/12 (Hardy-Weinberg and Phylogeny/ Systematics assessment statements)
 * intro. to human evolution

HW:

 * study for test
 * read What Makes a Primate a Primate? by Wednesday

1/24/12

 * substitute
 * test over Hardy-Weinberg and Phylogeny/ Systematics assessment statements
 * watch Becoming Human if time

HW:

 * read What Makes a Primate a Primate? by Wednesday