Aktuelle Themen der Evolutionsbiologie

Course material for "Modern topics in Evolutionary Biology"

 

Summer semester

Description:

This course will provide examples and understanding of six important unsanswered questions in evolutionary biology.

The course will consist of six parts:

1) Origin of life and early evolution;

2) Epigenetics and Evolution: return of Lamarckism? ;

3) Evolution of cooperation and society: game theory, kin selection and inclusive fitness ;

4) Ecology and evolution: levels of selection, metagenomics and holobionts ;

5) Experimental evolution in real time in the lab;

6) Origin of evolutionary innovations.

The seminar part of the course will consist in the presentation of a research paper about one of these topics.

 

Aim: to aquire a profound understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms and experimental tests, and development of critical analysis of articles and topics in evolutionary biology.

 

Reading:

Mark Ridley, Evolution, Oxford University Press 2011;

Pigliucci M. and G.B. Mueller, Evolution: The extended Synthesis, MIT Press, 2010;

Maynard-Smith J. and Szathmary E., The Major transitions in Evolution, Oxford University Press 1995