Biology 4505, Biogeography and Systematics

Instructors: Evan Edinger, Richard Haedrich, Paul Snelgrove, Steve Carr

MWF    9-10  AM; SN 4040. LAB: F 2-5 PM, SN 4040 or field

 

Date                 Lecture Topic                                                     Assigned readings.

 

Week 1             Introduction                                                                               C&M, ch 1

6 Sept.              Course introduction, history of biogeography (all)             

Lab:                  (no lab)

 

Week 2             biodiversity                                            (PS)                              C& M ch. 2

9 Sept.              Biodiversity: definitions

11 Sept.            Biodiversity: measurements

13 Sept.            Biodiversity gradients     & biogeography

Lab:                  Computer lab: calculating biodiversity measures.

 

Week 3             Distributions and their origins      (RH)                              C&M ch. 3

16 Sept.            The nuts and bolts of biogeography: the big 19th century expeditions

                                    choose organism groups for posters/term papers

18 Sept.            Importance of taxonomy in biogeography

20 Sept.            Relationship between systematics and biogeography

Lab:                  Computer lab: calculating biogeographic measures.

 

Week 4             Climate and biogeography                       (EE)                              C & M ch. 4

23 Sept.            What is climate, and what controls it?

25 Sept.            Ecosystems and biomes

27 Sept.            Climate zones and vegetation

Lab:                  Field trip: plant diversity at the MUN botanical gardens

 

Week 5             A brief history of life                               (EE)                              C & M ch. 6

30 Sept.            Plate tectonics and continental drift

2 Oct.               Marine fossil record and paleobiogeography

4 Oct.               Terrestrial fossil record and paleobiogeography                            

Lab:                  Analysis of field trip data; species-sampling effects.

 

Week 6             Ghosts of geography past                       (EE)                              C & M ch. 7

7 Oct.               Modern patterns and their origins, revisited

9 Oct.               Terrestrial paleobiogeography

11 Oct.             Marine paleobiogeography

Lab:                  (No lab)

 

Week 7             Paleobiogeographic methods      (EE)                              C & M, ch. 8

14 Oct.             (Thanksgiving - no class)

16 Oct.             Panbiogeography, cladistic biogeography

18 Oct.             Dispersal vs vicariance: straw man and tin man?

Lab:                  Continental reconstructions from fossils.

Week 8             Quaternary history and biogeography                   (EE)      C & M ch 9, 10, 11

21 Oct.             Geological & oceanographic origins of glaciations

23 Oct.             Pleistocene climates and vegetation

25 Oct.             MIDTERM EXAM (covers weeks 1-7)      

Lab:                  Pollen analysis and vegetation history

 

Week 9             Marine biogeography                                                      (PS, RH)           C & M ch 12

28 Oct.             Marine faunal realms

30 Oct.             Geographic and bathymetric variations in marine biodiversity

1 Nov.               Human impacts: invasive species in the oceans

Lab:                  Web-page presentations (1)

 

Week 10           Island biogeography and conservation                  (PS/RH)            C & M, ch. 13

4 Nov.               Island biogeography

6 Nov.               Island biogeography and extinctions

8 Nov.               Island biogeography and conservation planning

Lab:                  (no lab)

 

Week 11        Introduction to evolution and systematics                        (SC)                (on web-site)

11 Nov.           (Remembrance Day)

13 Nov.           (Midterm break - no class)

15 Nov.           Review of evolutionary processes & systematics

Lab:                Web-page presentations (2)

 

Week 12        History and nature of systematics                         (SC)                on web-site

18 Nov.           History of systematics

20 Nov.           Character analysis

22 Nov.           Phylogenetic diagrams.

Lab:                Numerical  systematics & morphometrics.

 

Week 13        Cladistic and molecular systematic methods                  (SC)                on web-site

25 Nov.           Principles of classification (1)

27 Nov.           Principles of classification (2)

29 Nov.           Molecular systematics (1)

Lab:                Cladistic systematics and molecular evolution

 

Week 14        Systematics                                                              (SC)                on web-site

2 Dec.             Molecular systematics (2)

4 Dec.             Phylogeography: gene trees in biogeographic context

                       

 

                        FINAL EXAM (covers entire course)