Exam Format

• The exam is entirely in essay format.  • There are three sections: • Section A: short essays (5 marks each), 8/11 = 40

marks • Section B: medium-length essays (15 marks

each), 2/4= 30 marks• Section C: one long essay (30 marks), 1/3 = 30

  

• Section A: Point form okay if clear & unambiguous. Section B & C: No point form. Tables OK but discuss info in body of answer.

• Keep in mind the format. Integrate concepts and put them in context, don’t just regurgitate. No questions on specific examples

• You may need to provide examples or you may want to use them to clarify.

•  You are not responsible for specific sections of the text.

• Papers presented in the tutorials are also not specifically tested on the exam.

• You may include information from papers, the text, and your essay.

1. Darwin and the Modern Synthesis

• How did Darwin’s ideas differ from earlier concepts?

• Why was Darwin’s idea “dangerous”?

• Reception of Darwin’s ideas – what are the holes?

Modern synthesis –

• What did it add to Darwin’s theory?

2. Analysis of Adaptation

• Are all traits adaptive?

• What is adaptation? How can you tell?

• How do adaptations arise? (NS)

• Are all adaptations perfect?

• Who/what benefits from adaptation?

Evolution of Sex – why so hard to explain?

Sexual Selection

• What can it explain that NS can’t?

• Theories of dev’t

Evolution of Sex Ratio

• maintenance of 50:50

• adaptiveness of asymmetry

3. Unit of selection?

• Unit that benefits from adaptation + heritability

• Conflict between levels?

• Problems of reproductive restraint/altruism/ eusociality

• Life history analysis, Kin selection

4. Adaptive Explanation

• Adaptationist program

• Criticism (Gould & Lewontin)

• Mutation, Gene Flow, Genetic Drift

• Problem: Complex characters & Intermediate stages

• Explanations for non-adaptive traits

• Why might adaptations not be perfect?

5. Evolution & Classification• Anagenesis vs. Cladogenesis, what do they cause?

• Pheneticists vs. Cladists

• How might their phylogenies differ?

• What characters are used & why?

• How can character choice affect a phylogeny?

• Homologies vs. Analogies

• Monophyly, Paraphyly, Polyphyly

• What causes mistakes?– Mosaic Evolution , Retention & Homoplasy

6. The Idea of Species

• Why do we need a definition?• Why so hard to define? • Species concepts (pros &cons): • Phenetic • Biological• Ecological • Premating & Postmating Isolation

– Types– Are they the cause or effect of speciation?

• How do RIM evolve?

7. Speciation

• Integral to our understanding of diversification

• Geographic Variation – Types & relevance to speciation

• What is needed for speciation to occur? • Speciation Models:

- Allopatric - Peripheral isolates/peripatric- Parapatric- Sympatric: instantaneous & gradual

• Genetic models

8. Reconstructing Phylogenies

• Why do we need phylogenies? • What do they show? • Homologies vs. analogies• When might some characters not be informative• Distinguishing b/w ancestral & derived characters • Rooted & unrooted trees• Technical stuff: Molecular evolution, Parsimony

Variation in substitution rates…

9. Biogeography• Historical + Ecological explanations • Range Expansion

- Dispersal - Adaptive radiations

• Dispersal vs. Vicariance - Patterns formed - Models

• Historical Biogeography – fossil record vs. today• Current dist’ns – ancient + recent history + ecology• What explains differences in species ranges?• Reconstructing speciation from geol. & geog history

10. Rates of Evolutionary Change

• Trying to explain differences in rates of change• Problems: chronospecies & incomplete fossil record• How phylogenetic & taxonomic rates relate to one

another/affect one another• Evolution of single characters (darwins)• Quantum evolution• Why do rates vary? • What can the evolution of recent species tell us about

the past? • P.G. vs. P.E.

11. Macroevolution• Slow & gradual vs. dramatic changes• Microevolution vs. Macroevolution• Saltation vs. Neodarwinists • Morph change: what characters most likely to be affected? • Modification• Transformation (in what?)• Allometry

- Heterochrony - What are the outcomes- How can you tell which has acted- Importance to evolution? - Genetic basis of heterochrony ( e.g. Hox genes)

12. Coevolution

• What is it?

• Why does it happen?

• Can coevolutionary interactions cause extinction?

• Lag-load

• Models (Red Queen etc.)

• TSC to evaluate models

13. Background vs. Mass Extinctions

• What causes them? (5 major events)

• Difference b/w background & mass extinction

• Ecological effects of mass extinctions

• Cyclical mass extinctions?

• Signor-Lipps effect

• What makes a good survivor?

• Iterative evolution