BIOEE 4530 - Speciation: Genetics, Ecology, and Behavior

(crosslisted)
(also BIONB 4530)

Fall. 4 credits. S-U or letter grade option.

Prerequisites: BIOEE 1780 and BIOMG 2810 or equivalents, or permission of instructor. Offered alternate years. Limited to 40 students.

R. Harrison and K. Shaw.

Advanced course in evolutionary biology focusing on the pattern and process of speciation and the nature and origin of behavioral, morphological, physiological, and ecological traits that form the intrinsic barriers to gene exchange. Lecture topics include species concepts and definitions, the history of ideas about speciation, the biological basis of intrinsic barriers to gene exchange, current models for the origin of such barriers, genetic architecture of speciation, rates of speciation. Emphasis is on developing a rigorous conceptual framework for discussing speciation and on detailed analysis of a series of case histories.