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ZOOLOGY SERIES
Evolution in Action: A Study of Species' Options Over Time
Professor Mary Beth Davis

This course will be held at the Independence Branch of the Free Library, located at 18 S. 7th Street (7th and Market Streets), Philadelphia. 

LECTURES BEGIN AT 6:30 PM

  1. Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - Basic Principles in Evolution and Genetics
    Introduction to the tenets of Darwin’s theory, macroevolution, microevolution, and basic genetics.
  2. Wednesday, January 27, 2010 - Migration, Adaptation, and Speciation
    The classic example of evolution in action is the speciation of finches in the Galapagos. The colonization of the islands by a small founder group over a few million years resulted in the development of 14 species. We will explore mechanisms of evolutionary change from the level of speciation (macroevolution) to the genetic level (microevolution).

  3. Wednesday, February, 3, 2010 - Migration, Adaptation, and Speciation (continued)

  4. Wednesday, February 10, 2010 - Stories About Living Fossils

    Living fossils are organisms whose appearance has changed little over millions of years. Horseshoe crabs, dragonflies, and the chambered nautilus are all organisms whose current morphology matches their fossil record. The exciting story of the 1938 coelacanth, thought to be extinct, will be presented.
  5. Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - Molecular Genetics Challenges the Living Fossil Concept
    Although the appearance of living fossils has not changed significantly over time, what changes have occurred in their genes? Genetic studies of coelacanths and of tuataras, a reptile endemic to New Zealand, have estimated rates of evolutionary change in DNA of these species.

  6. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - Extinction - A Natural and an “Unnatural” Process
    Extinction can naturally occur when evolutionary change does not happen fast enough to enable a species to survive in a particular context. Specific examples of extinction to be covered include the Tasmanian wolf, quagga, and Steller’s Sea Cow. 

  7. Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - Observing the Process of Extinction
    According to the July 2009 International Union for the Conservation of Nature report, approximately 17,000 plant and animal species are threatened with extinction. We will discuss case studies of species, such as the river dolphins, that have just recently been declared extinct or are in peril.  
  8. Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - Introduction to the Field of Biogeography

Biogeography is an interdisciplinary field that integrates concepts from  biology, ecology, geology, and geography to study the spatial patterns of biodiversity. Historical biogeography (species over time) and ecological biogeography (current distribution of species) will be discussed.     

Charles Darwin proposed that in nature, changes in the environment present species with three possible evolutionary scenarios: adaptation, migration, or extinction. In this course we will examine these responses in depth through the examination of case studies of the natural history of individual species. We will also consider how information from DNA studies can provide insight into evolutionary change.

Recommended reading:

Course website: www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org/classes/genetics

The Beak of the Finch. by Jonathan Weiner. New York: Vintage, 1995.

 

 

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