BIOL 506 Home Page Archive (2005/2006)

Biology 506/507 ARCHIVE
Systematics and Evolution Forum
(2005/2006)

Heather Proctor (coordinator, Fall Term)
Office: Earth Sciences 1-44, Phone 2-5704, hproctor@ualberta.ca
A. Richard Palmer (coordinator, Winter Term)
Office: Biological Sciences Z1116, Phone 2-3633, rich.palmer@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 45-50 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 Rich Palmer.

BIOL 507 allows registered students to receive credit for attending the presentations in BIOL 506.

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 - 2005/2006

NOTE: ALL LECTURES WILL BE AT 3 PM IN BioSciences Microbiology Wing M145 (except those marked **).

Speakers with an asterisk (*) next to their name are registered students who will give a lecture on the specified topic.

Date Presenter FALL TERM 2005
Lecture Topic Focal Paper

Sept. 12 Dr. Rob Wilson
Dept. of Philosophy,
University of Alberta Myxomatosis and the Levels of Selection Wilson. R.A. 2004. Test Cases, Resolvability, and Group Selection: A Critical Examination of the Myxoma Case. Philosophy of Science 71:380-401.
(download)

Sept. 19 Heather Proctor & Steve Kembel
Biological Sciences,
University of Alberta Harrison's rule and feather mites

Sept. 26 Thomas Simonsen
Biological Sciences,
University of Alberta
(PDF- Sperling) Lepidoptera wing vestiture: Morphology, function and evolutionary aspects

Oct. 3 No class
(Candidacy exam conflict)

Oct. 10 No class (Thanksgiving break)

Oct. 17 Holly Parkis*
Biological Sciences,
University of Alberta
(PhD- Palmer) Hard parts: The evolution of calcium carbonate skeletons in invertebrates Marin et al. 1996. Skeletal matrices, muci, and the origin of invertebrate calcification. Proc. Nat'l. Acad. Sci. USA 93:1554-1559.
(download)

Oct. 24 Dr. Witt Taylor
Arizona State University Tales from the Tertiary: An overview of the Almont flora

Oct. 31 Wayne Knee*
Biological Sciences,
University of Alberta
(MSc- Proctor) The state of behavioural characters in phylogenetic studies McCracken, K.G. and F.H. Sheldon. 1997. Avian vocalizations and phylogenetic signal. PNAS 94:3833-3836.
(download)

Nov. 7 Kurt Konhauser
Earth & Atmospheric Sciences,
University of Alberta Microbial silicification and Precambrian fossil formation

Nov. 14 Marie Djernaes*
Biological Sciences,
University of Alberta
(PhD- Sperling) Evolution of insect wings Marden, J.H. 2003. The surface-skimming hypothesis for the evolution of insect flight. Acta zoologica cracoviensia 46:73-84.
(download)

Nov. 21 Dr. Brian Chatterton
Earth & Atmospheric Sciences,
University of Alberta Hide and seek in the Paleozoic: Trilobite lifestyles, functional morphology and systematics

Nov. 28 Lisa Buckley*
Biological Sciences,
University of Alberta
(MSc- Currie) Inferring reproductive physiology and behavior in the Dinosauria from the fossil record Schweitzer. et al. 2005. Gender-specific reproductive tissue in ratites and Tyrannosaurus rex. Science 308:1456-1460.
(download)

Dec. 5 Vazrick Nazari
Biological Sciences,
University of Alberta
(MSc- Sperling) Phylogeny of Apollo butterflies

Date Presenter WINTER TERM 2006
Lecture Topic
** NOTE ROOM CHANGE TO M145 ** Focal Paper

Jan. 9 Palmer/Proctor Organizational meeting for B506 students only

Jan. 16 **
2 PM
M145 Dr. Robert Reisz
Dept. of Biology,
Univ. of Toronto, Mississauga The oldest dinosaur embryos and their evolutionary significance
**NOTE TIME CHANGE** 2 PM Reisz, R.R. et al. 2005. Embryos of an early Jurassic prosauropod dinosaur and their evolutionary significance. Science 309:761-764.
(download)

Jan. 23**
4 PM
1-1017 ETLC Dr. Jocelyn Hall
Dept. of Organismic and Evolution Biology,
Harvard University
(Candidate for Plant Systematics Pos'n) Systematics and morphological evolution in the flowers and fruits of Capparaceae, Brassicaceae and relatives
**NOTE TIME & ROOM CHANGE**
4:00 PM, 1-1017 ETLC
(Engineering Teaching Learning Centre)

Jan. 30
3 PM
M145 TBA

Feb. 6
3 PM
M145 Dr. Maya Evenden
Biological Sciences,
University of Alberta Inheritance and evolution of sex pheromone response in moths: Implications or pheromone-based management

Feb. 13
3 PM
M145 Chris Neufeld
Biological Sciences,
University of Alberta
(MSc- Palmer) Blowing in the waves: Phenotypic plasticity of barnacle appendages

Feb. 20 no class Reading Week

Feb. 27
3 PM
M145 Steve Karafit
Biological Sciences,
University of Alberta
(MSc- Stockey) Modern Ferns: Relics of the Past, or the Result of Coevolution With Angiosperms? Schneider et al. 2004. Ferns diversified in the shadow of angiosperms. Nature 428:553-557.
(download)

Mar. 6
3 PM
M145 Dr. Raoul Mutter
Department of Palaeontology
Natural History Museum, London The role of sharks in the Permo-Triassic mass extinction and recovery scenario TBA

Mar. 13
3 PM
M145 Stephanie Nakada
Biological Sciences,
University of Alberta
(MSc- Coltman) Evolution of the prion protein: Kuru and other spongiform disease Slate, J. 2005. Molecular evolution of the sheep prion protein gene. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B272, 2371-2377.
(download)

Mar. 20
3 PM
M145 Mike Caldwell
Biological Sciences,
University of Alberta "My summer on Mars" (sic)

Mar. 27
3 PM
M145 Jessica Hawthorn
Biological Sciences,
University of Alberta
(MSc- Wilson) Interpreting rates of evolution in the fossil record Benton M.J. & P.N. Pearson. 2001. Speciation in the fossil record. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 16:405-411.
(download)

Apr. 3
3 PM
M145 Takuya Konishi
Biological Sciences,
University of Alberta
(MSc- Caldwell) One of the finest specimens of Platecarpus (Squamata: Mosasauridae) permits re-diagnosis for one of the most enigmatic species of the genus, P. planifrons Cope, 1874

Apr. 10
3 PM
M145 Arthur Anker*,
Shayne Ahyong+,
Rich Palmer (presenter)*
& Pierre Noel++
*Biological Sciences,
University of Alberta
+ Dept. Marine Invertebrates,
Australian Museum
++ Mus. National d'Histoire Naturelle,
Paris Phylogeny of the shrimp family Alpheidae: Origin and evolutionary significance of a morphological novelty, the snapping claw

macspin.gif, 13K Top of page

(revised Dec. 26, 2011)

Date	Presenter	FALL TERM 2005 Lecture Topic	Focal Paper
Sept. 12	Dr. Rob Wilson Dept. of Philosophy, University of Alberta	Myxomatosis and the Levels of Selection	Wilson. R.A. 2004. Test Cases, Resolvability, and Group Selection: A Critical Examination of the Myxoma Case. Philosophy of Science 71:380-401. (download)
Sept. 19	Heather Proctor & Steve Kembel Biological Sciences, University of Alberta	Harrison's rule and feather mites
Sept. 26	Thomas Simonsen Biological Sciences, University of Alberta (PDF- Sperling)	Lepidoptera wing vestiture: Morphology, function and evolutionary aspects
Oct. 3	No class (Candidacy exam conflict)
Oct. 10	No class	(Thanksgiving break)
Oct. 17	Holly Parkis* Biological Sciences, University of Alberta (PhD- Palmer)	Hard parts: The evolution of calcium carbonate skeletons in invertebrates	Marin et al. 1996. Skeletal matrices, muci, and the origin of invertebrate calcification. Proc. Nat'l. Acad. Sci. USA 93:1554-1559. (download)
Oct. 24	Dr. Witt Taylor Arizona State University	Tales from the Tertiary: An overview of the Almont flora
Oct. 31	Wayne Knee* Biological Sciences, University of Alberta (MSc- Proctor)	The state of behavioural characters in phylogenetic studies	McCracken, K.G. and F.H. Sheldon. 1997. Avian vocalizations and phylogenetic signal. PNAS 94:3833-3836. (download)
Nov. 7	Kurt Konhauser Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta	Microbial silicification and Precambrian fossil formation
Nov. 14	Marie Djernaes* Biological Sciences, University of Alberta (PhD- Sperling)	Evolution of insect wings	Marden, J.H. 2003. The surface-skimming hypothesis for the evolution of insect flight. Acta zoologica cracoviensia 46:73-84. (download)
Nov. 21	Dr. Brian Chatterton Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta	Hide and seek in the Paleozoic: Trilobite lifestyles, functional morphology and systematics
Nov. 28	Lisa Buckley* Biological Sciences, University of Alberta (MSc- Currie)	Inferring reproductive physiology and behavior in the Dinosauria from the fossil record	Schweitzer. et al. 2005. Gender-specific reproductive tissue in ratites and Tyrannosaurus rex. Science 308:1456-1460. (download)
Dec. 5	Vazrick Nazari Biological Sciences, University of Alberta (MSc- Sperling)	Phylogeny of Apollo butterflies
Date	Presenter	WINTER TERM 2006 Lecture Topic NOTE ROOM CHANGE TO M145	Focal Paper
Jan. 9	Palmer/Proctor	Organizational meeting for B506 students only
Jan. 16 ** 2 PM M145	Dr. Robert Reisz Dept. of Biology, Univ. of Toronto, Mississauga	The oldest dinosaur embryos and their evolutionary significance NOTE TIME CHANGE 2 PM	Reisz, R.R. et al. 2005. Embryos of an early Jurassic prosauropod dinosaur and their evolutionary significance. Science 309:761-764. (download)
Jan. 23** 4 PM 1-1017 ETLC	Dr. Jocelyn Hall Dept. of Organismic and Evolution Biology, Harvard University (Candidate for Plant Systematics Pos'n)	Systematics and morphological evolution in the flowers and fruits of Capparaceae, Brassicaceae and relatives NOTE TIME & ROOM CHANGE 4:00 PM, 1-1017 ETLC (Engineering Teaching Learning Centre)
Jan. 30 3 PM M145	TBA
Feb. 6 3 PM M145	Dr. Maya Evenden Biological Sciences, University of Alberta	Inheritance and evolution of sex pheromone response in moths: Implications or pheromone-based management
Feb. 13 3 PM M145	Chris Neufeld Biological Sciences, University of Alberta (MSc- Palmer)	Blowing in the waves: Phenotypic plasticity of barnacle appendages
Feb. 20	no class	Reading Week
Feb. 27 3 PM M145	Steve Karafit Biological Sciences, University of Alberta (MSc- Stockey)	Modern Ferns: Relics of the Past, or the Result of Coevolution With Angiosperms?	Schneider et al. 2004. Ferns diversified in the shadow of angiosperms. Nature 428:553-557. (download)
Mar. 6 3 PM M145	Dr. Raoul Mutter Department of Palaeontology Natural History Museum, London	The role of sharks in the Permo-Triassic mass extinction and recovery scenario	TBA
Mar. 13 3 PM M145	Stephanie Nakada Biological Sciences, University of Alberta (MSc- Coltman)	Evolution of the prion protein: Kuru and other spongiform disease	Slate, J. 2005. Molecular evolution of the sheep prion protein gene. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B272, 2371-2377. (download)
Mar. 20 3 PM M145	Mike Caldwell Biological Sciences, University of Alberta	"My summer on Mars" (sic)
Mar. 27 3 PM M145	Jessica Hawthorn Biological Sciences, University of Alberta (MSc- Wilson)	Interpreting rates of evolution in the fossil record	Benton M.J. & P.N. Pearson. 2001. Speciation in the fossil record. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 16:405-411. (download)
Apr. 3 3 PM M145	Takuya Konishi Biological Sciences, University of Alberta (MSc- Caldwell)	One of the finest specimens of Platecarpus (Squamata: Mosasauridae) permits re-diagnosis for one of the most enigmatic species of the genus, P. planifrons Cope, 1874
Apr. 10 3 PM M145	Arthur Anker, Shayne Ahyong+, Rich Palmer (presenter) & Pierre Noel++ *Biological Sciences, University of Alberta + Dept. Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum ++ Mus. National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris	Phylogeny of the shrimp family Alpheidae: Origin and evolutionary significance of a morphological novelty, the snapping claw