BIOL 248 - Evolutionary Genetics

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

This course focuses on the genetic bases of evolutionary processes and the applications of genetics in evolutionary studies. Topics include reviews of transmission (Mendelian) genetics, DNA replication, transcription, and translation; the origin of meiosis and sexual reproduction; the microevolutionary processes of mutation, selection, genetic drift, and gene flow; the genetics of speciation; the origins of new genes; gene regulation and macroevolution; epigenetics and evolution; evolutionary genomics; and applications of evolutionary genetics to pressing societal concerns such as antibiotic, herbicide, and pesticide resistance; conservation biology; GMOs; and climate change. This course is especially appropriate for Biology majors focusing on ecology and evolution, Environmental Studies majors doing biology concentrations, and Neuroscience majors focusing on behavioral ecology and evolution. Myra Hughey.

Prerequisite(s): BIOL 106 or BIOL 108, or ENST 124, or permission of the instructor.

Three 50-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory.

Course Format: CLS