BIOL 506 Home Page (2011/2012)

Biology 506
Systematics and Evolution Forum
(2011/2012)

Coordinator
Felix Sperling
Room: ES 208B, Biological Sciences
Phone: (780) 492-3991
Fax: (780) 492-9234
Email:felix.sperling@ualberta.ca

Course Overview:

BIOL 506 provides a forum for graduate students who are registered in the course to give a formal lecture on any subject in Systematics & Evolution, and to receive constructive feedback on that lecture (see course guidelines).

It also provides a forum where other graduate students and staff may give an informal presentation of their research.

Each 40 minute lecture by registered students will be centered on a focal paper from the primary literature and will be followed by a discussion. Focal papers may be downloaded from links by each lecture title (see schedule below).

All interested persons are welcome to attend the presentations and discussions.
If you are not on the mailing list and would like to be, please E-mail Felix Sperling.

Resources for students registered in BIOL 506:

Tips for preparing a good lecture
"How to write backwards" (a very useful guide for planning a paper or a presentation/lecture)

Presentations in past years

SCHEDULE - 2011/2012

Speakers with an asterisk (*) next to their name are registered students in the course who will give a lecture on the specified topic. The remaining talks are research presentations.

Date
Place Presenter
(program, supervisor) WINTER TERM 2011
Lecture Topic Focal Paper

Jan. 9
3 pm
B-105
introduction and scheduling

Jan. 16
3 pm
B-105 Scott Persons, Biological Sciences, University of Alberta (PhD - Currie) Title of lecture: “Thunder Fish: the Evolution of Electrogenesis”
Focal paper: Czech-Damal et al. 2012. Electroreception in the Guiana dophin.

Proc Royal Soc B 2012 early access: doi: 10.1098/rspb.2011.1127

Jan. 23
3 pm
B-105

Haille Street (PhD - Caldwell)
Title: “Convergent evolution of the thunniform body plan in marine vertebrates” Reading: Donley, J. M. et al., 2004. Convergent evolution in mechanical design of lamnid sharks and tunas, Nature 429: 61-65. doi:10.1038/nature02435

Jan. 30
3 pm
B-105 Monica Higuera (PhD - Hall) Title: "DNA barcoding: advantages, limits and challenges" Reading: Marianne Elias, M. et al. 2007. Limited performance of DNA barcoding in a diverse community of tropical butterflies. Proc. R. Soc. B 274, 2881-9. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2007.1035

Feb. 6
3 pm
B-105 Jasmine Croghan (MSc - Caldwell) Title: “The oviparous to viviparous transition in amniotes: why, how, and is it reversible?” Reading: Rodriguez-Diaz, T. et al. 2009. Effects of incubation temperature on hatchling phenotypes in an oviparous lizard with prolonged egg retention: are the two main hypotheses on the evolution of viviparity compatible? Zoology 113 (2010): 33-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2009.05.001

Feb. 13
3 pm
B-105 Rachel Brown (MSc - Leys) Title: "Life in hot water: patterns in the gene flow and dispersal strategies of hydrothermal vent organisms" Reading: Thaler, A.D. et al. 2011. The spatial scale of genetic subdivision in populations of Ifremeria nautilei, a hydrothermal-vent gastropod from the southwest Pacific. BMC Evolutionary Biology 11: 372
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/11/372

Feb. 20
3 pm
B-105 Reading Week

Feb. 27
3 pm
B-105 Emaline Montgomery (MSc - Palmer) Title: “Antarctic benthic ecology” Reading: McClintock, J.B. et al. 2008. Intraspecific agonistic arm-fencing behavior in the Antarctic keystone sea star Odontaster validus influences prey acquisition. Marine Ecology Progress Series 371: 297-300. doi: 10.3354/meps07710

Mar. 5
3 pm
B-105 Giovanny Fagua (PhD - Sperling) Title: “Green tracks: jaws, wings, and gut. Influence of green plants on the morphology of insects” Reading: Ren, D. et al. 2009. A probable pollination mode before angiosperms: Eurasian, long-proboscid scorpionflies. Science 326: 840-847. DOI: 10.1126/science.1178338

Mar. 12
3 pm
B-105 Thodoris Argyiou (MSc - Murray)
Title: "Bipedalism, Hominids and late Neogene African environment".
Reading: White, TD. et al. 2009. Ardipithecus ramidus and the paleobiology of early hominids. Science 326: 64, 75-86. DOI: DOI 10.1126/science.1175802.

Mar. 19
3 pm
B-105 Susan Anthony (MSc - Palmer)
Title: "Living Shell-less: Defensive Adaptations of Shell-less Gastropods"
Reading: Martin, R. 2003. Management of nematocysts in the alimentary tract and in cnidosacs of the aeolid nudibranch gastropod Cratena peregrina. Marine Biology 143: 533-541. DOI 10.1007/s00227-003-1078-8

Mar. 26
3 pm
B-105 Nicole Webster (PhD - Palmer) Title: “Smears on a rock: Origins in the Burgess Shale”
Reading: Smith, M. R., Caron, J.-B., 2010. Primitive soft-bodied cephalopods from the Cambrian. Nature 465: 469-472. doi:10.1038/nature09068

Apr. 2
3 pm
B-105 Paulina Jimenez (PhD - Caldwell) Title: "Fluttering through the air: Evolution of flight in vertebrates" Reading: Dial, K.P. et al. 2008. A fundamental avian wing-stroke provides a new perspective on the evolution of flight. Nature 451: 985-990. doi:10.1038/nature06517

Biol 506 Presentations

Top of page

(revised Jan. 17, 2012)

Date Place	Presenter (program, supervisor)	WINTER TERM 2011 Lecture Topic	Focal Paper
Jan. 9 3 pm B-105		introduction and scheduling
Jan. 16 3 pm B-105	Scott Persons, Biological Sciences, University of Alberta (PhD - Currie)	Title of lecture: “Thunder Fish: the Evolution of Electrogenesis”	Focal paper: Czech-Damal et al. 2012. Electroreception in the Guiana dophin. Proc Royal Soc B 2012 early access: doi: 10.1098/rspb.2011.1127
Jan. 23 3 pm B-105	Haille Street (PhD - Caldwell)	Title: “Convergent evolution of the thunniform body plan in marine vertebrates”	Reading: Donley, J. M. et al., 2004. Convergent evolution in mechanical design of lamnid sharks and tunas, Nature 429: 61-65. doi:10.1038/nature02435
Jan. 30 3 pm B-105	Monica Higuera (PhD - Hall)	Title: "DNA barcoding: advantages, limits and challenges"	Reading: Marianne Elias, M. et al. 2007. Limited performance of DNA barcoding in a diverse community of tropical butterflies. Proc. R. Soc. B 274, 2881-9. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2007.1035
Feb. 6 3 pm B-105	Jasmine Croghan (MSc - Caldwell)	Title: “The oviparous to viviparous transition in amniotes: why, how, and is it reversible?”	Reading: Rodriguez-Diaz, T. et al. 2009. Effects of incubation temperature on hatchling phenotypes in an oviparous lizard with prolonged egg retention: are the two main hypotheses on the evolution of viviparity compatible? Zoology 113 (2010): 33-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2009.05.001
Feb. 13 3 pm B-105	Rachel Brown (MSc - Leys)	Title: "Life in hot water: patterns in the gene flow and dispersal strategies of hydrothermal vent organisms"	Reading: Thaler, A.D. et al. 2011. The spatial scale of genetic subdivision in populations of Ifremeria nautilei, a hydrothermal-vent gastropod from the southwest Pacific. BMC Evolutionary Biology 11: 372 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/11/372
Feb. 20 3 pm B-105	Reading Week
Feb. 27 3 pm B-105	Emaline Montgomery (MSc - Palmer)	Title: “Antarctic benthic ecology”	Reading: McClintock, J.B. et al. 2008. Intraspecific agonistic arm-fencing behavior in the Antarctic keystone sea star Odontaster validus influences prey acquisition. Marine Ecology Progress Series 371: 297-300. doi: 10.3354/meps07710
Mar. 5 3 pm B-105	Giovanny Fagua (PhD - Sperling)	Title: “Green tracks: jaws, wings, and gut. Influence of green plants on the morphology of insects”	Reading: Ren, D. et al. 2009. A probable pollination mode before angiosperms: Eurasian, long-proboscid scorpionflies. Science 326: 840-847. DOI: 10.1126/science.1178338
Mar. 12 3 pm B-105	Thodoris Argyiou (MSc - Murray)	Title: "Bipedalism, Hominids and late Neogene African environment".	Reading: White, TD. et al. 2009. Ardipithecus ramidus and the paleobiology of early hominids. Science 326: 64, 75-86. DOI: DOI 10.1126/science.1175802.
Mar. 19 3 pm B-105	Susan Anthony (MSc - Palmer)	Title: "Living Shell-less: Defensive Adaptations of Shell-less Gastropods"	Reading: Martin, R. 2003. Management of nematocysts in the alimentary tract and in cnidosacs of the aeolid nudibranch gastropod Cratena peregrina. Marine Biology 143: 533-541. DOI 10.1007/s00227-003-1078-8
Mar. 26 3 pm B-105	Nicole Webster (PhD - Palmer)	Title: “Smears on a rock: Origins in the Burgess Shale”	Reading: Smith, M. R., Caron, J.-B., 2010. Primitive soft-bodied cephalopods from the Cambrian. Nature 465: 469-472. doi:10.1038/nature09068
Apr. 2 3 pm B-105	Paulina Jimenez (PhD - Caldwell)	Title: "Fluttering through the air: Evolution of flight in vertebrates"	Reading: Dial, K.P. et al. 2008. A fundamental avian wing-stroke provides a new perspective on the evolution of flight. Nature 451: 985-990. doi:10.1038/nature06517