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Course Criteria
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4.00 Credits
A survey of the origination and evolution of the major groups of vertebrates, with emphasis on the anatomical and physiological transformations that occurred during the transitions to diverse lineages of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The structures and functions exhibited in extant taxa are explored with perspectives from the fossil record.
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4.00 Credits
An introduction to the major groups of insects. The life history, morphology, physiology, and ecology of the main taxa are examined through a combination of lecture, lab, and field exercises. Topics include the phylogeny of terrestrial arthropods with a review of the extant orders, an analysis of abiotic and biotic factors regulating populations, including water balance, temperature, migration, parasitism, mutualism, sociality, insect/plant interactions, medical entomology, and the use of insects in biological control.
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4.00 Credits
Examines natural and anthropogenic changes in the earth system and their impact on the structure and functioning of terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems. Topics include earth system history, fossil fuel emissions, changing water chemistry, ozone, species extinctions and invasions, and human exploitation of natural resources.
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4.00 Credits
A study of the diversity and evolution of plant life cycles, with an emphasis on interactions between the generations. The course will focus on bryophytes.
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4.00 Credits
Theory and practice of systematics, emphasizing issues associated with homology statements and alignments, methods of tree reconstruction, and hypothesis evaluation. The course combines theoretical considerations, paying special attention to algorithmic aspects of phylogenetics, with the use of different computer programs for conducting evolutionary and phylogenetic analyses.
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4.00 Credits
A course on the physical principles behind the growth and form of cells. We will explore the role of surface tension, self-assembly, biomineralization, cytoskeletal forces, and turgor in shaping a wide range of cells including bacteria, diatoms, yeasts, ciliates, pollen, neurons, and red blood cells. The emphasis is on bridging the gap between the molecular components of the cell and overall cell morphogenesis. Special laboratories will introduce the students to the organisms studied in class.
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4.00 Credits
An examination of the evolution of microbes through an integration of lectures and discussion of primary literature. We will focus on a series of broad questions for which we will draw upon knowledge from both lab-based study of experimental microcosms and comparative studies of natural populations. Notably, students will conduct their own experimental evolution projects using 'digital organisms'.
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4.00 Credits
Introduction to invertebrate diversity, will cover the development, adult anatomy, biology and evolutionary relationships of the main animal phyla including sponges, mollusks, annelids and arthropods among others. Special emphasis is placed on understanding the broad diversity of animal forms and their adaptations to different ecosystems and how these phenomena shape animal evolution. Lectures will be complemented with a mandatory weekly lab and a field trip to different areas of outstanding marine diversity in the Caribbean.
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4.00 Credits
Introduction to the structure, diversity, and physiology of plants with an emphasis on evolutionary relationships and adaptations to life on land. Topics include growth, resource acquisition, interactions with other organisms (i.e., fungi, bacteria, insects), reproduction, and survival in extreme environments. Laboratory sessions provide an overview of plant and diversity and an introduction to basic physiological processes.
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4.00 Credits
The course covers micro- and macro-evolution, ranging in its focus from population genetics through molecular evolution to the grand patterns of the fossil record. Topics emphasized include both natural and sexual selection, the ecological context of adaptation, genomic and developmental mechanisms of evolutionary innovation, speciation, phylogenetics, and evolutionary approaches to human problems.
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