Details of LS2201 (Spring 2016)
| Level: 2 | Type: Theory | Credits: 3.0 |
| Course Code | Course Name | Instructor(s) |
|---|---|---|
| LS2201 | Evolutionary Biology | Anindita Bhadra |
| Syllabus |
|---|
| A. Emergence of evolutionary thoughts: Lamarck; Darwinconcepts of variation, adaptation, struggle, fitness and natural selection; Mendelism; spontaneity of mutations; the evolutionary synthesis.
B. Origin of cells and unicellular evolution: Origin of basic biological molecules; abiotic synthesis of organic monomers and polymers; concept of Oparin and Haldane; experiment of Miller (1953); the first cell; evolution of prokaryotes; origin of eukaryotic cells; evolution of unicellular eukaryotes; anaerobic metabolism, photosynthesis and aerobic metabolism. C. Paleontology and evolutionary history: The evolutionary time scale; eras, periods and epoch; major events in the evolutionary time scale; origins of unicellular and multicellular organisms; major groups of plants and animals; stages in primate evolution including Homo. D. Molecular Evolution: Concepts of neutral evolution, molecular divergence and molecular clocks; molecular tools in phylogeny, classification and identification; protein and nucleotide sequence analysis; origin of new genes and proteins; gene duplication and divergence. E. The Mechanisms: Population genetics populations, gene pool, gene frequency; Hardy-Weinberg law; concepts and rate of change in gene frequency through natural selection, migration and random genetic drift; adaptive radiation and modifications; isolating mechanisms; speciation; allopatricity and sympatricity; convergent evolution; sexual selection; co-evolution. |
| References |
|---|
| 1. Evolution, Second Edition by Douglas J. Futuyma. 2009
2. Evolutionary Ecology (6th Edition) by Eric R. Pianka. 1999 |
Course Credit Options
| Sl. No. | Programme | Semester No | Course Choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IP | 2 | Not Allowed |
| 2 | IP | 4 | Not Allowed |
| 3 | IP | 6 | Not Allowed |
| 4 | MR | 2 | Not Allowed |
| 5 | MR | 4 | Not Allowed |
| 6 | MS ( Biological Sciences ) | 4 | Core |
| 7 | RS | 1 | Not Allowed |
| 8 | RS | 2 | Not Allowed |