• A rudimentary key for the final exam is available in J205 HSB (the Genetics Office) from the secretary at the front desk, Bill, who will allow you to copy it. There wasn't enough bulletin board space to post it.
• The grades are assigned and have been turned in. You can get back your exam by asking Bill in J205, the Genetics Department office. The course total score distribution is posted on the bulletin board outside J205 (and here on this web site too).
• The final exam is in J280 (the usual lecture room) at 2:30-4:30 on Wednesday, March 19.
• The review session for the final exam is in J280 at 3:30-4:30 on Friday, March 14.
• The course newsgroup is now available. It is called uwash.class.genet453. Messages will remain all quarter, and will also be archived here.
• My office hours are Thursdays at 2-3 pm in my office, J253 HSB. Alternatively, just come up and ask me after class, or ask me for an appointment.
• The office hours have been changed to 2:30-3:30, to avoid another conflict.
• There will be a review session for the midterm on Tuesday, February 11, at 2:30 in room J280 (the usual lecture room).
• I have noticed that a second edition of Mark Ridley's "Evolution" is now out. The page numbers in our syllabus are from the first edition.

GENET 453 Genetics of the Evolutionary Process
Credits: 3
Quarters: W
Instructor: Felsenstein
Gen. Educ.: NW
Course Desc.: Contributions of genetics to the understanding of evolution. Processes of mutation, selection, and random genetic events as they affect the genetic architecture of natural populations and the process of speciation. Emphasis on experimental data and observation, rather than mathematical theory. Prerequisite: 371 or 372. Offered: W.

Genetics 453                                                      J. Felsenstein
Evolutionary Genetics                                               Winter, 1997

                                Syllabus

Date        Topic                             Readings

1/6-1/8     History of genetics in evolution  Futuyma, chap. 1
                                              Ridley: Chap.1
                                              JMS: 8-12
                                              Greene, passim

1/10-1/17   Elements of population genetics   H&C: 17-19,31-37,147-159,184-185 
                                              Futuyma: 82-85,150-159, 162-167,170-173
                                              Ridley:  Chaps. 4-6
                                              JMS: 31-47,24-27,1139-147
                                              Li & Graur: Chap. 2

1/20        (Martin Luther King Day holiday)

1/22-1/24   more elements                     H&C: 96-118,199-201,306-310, 550-553,61-66
             of population genetics           Futuyma: 72-76,160,103-109, 120-131,142-143
                                              Ridley:  Chaps. 4-6
                                              JMS: as above
                                              Li & Graur: as above

1/27-1/29   Quantitative genetics             H&C: 430-450,(450-465), 504-510
                                              Futuyma: 87-91,195-202, (193), 207-210,214-215
                                              Ridley:  Chap. 9
                                              JMS: Chap. 6, esp. 93-117

1/31-2/5    Kin and species selection,        H&C: 560-569,586-596
            punctuated equilibrium, etc.      Futuyma: 111-115, Chap.8., 258-266,397-409
                                              Ridley: Chaps. 12, 19, 20, and 21
                                              JMS: Chap. 9, also 280-292

2/7-2/10    Molecular variation               H&C: 349-382,421-425,407-420
                                              Lewontin, Chaps. 3 and 5
                                              Futuyma: 444-459,472-481, 143-146,307-315,(286-306)
                                              JMS: 49-57,65-77,139-147
                                              Ridley: pp. 141-163

2/12        Midterm exam                      Some or all of the above

2/14        Molecular evolution               Li & Graur, chaps. 3-5
                                              H&C: 349-382,421-425,407-420
                                              Ridley: pp. 164-182, Chaps. 10, 17
                                              Futuyma: 444-459,472-481, 1143-146,307-315,(286-306)
                                              JMS: 147-156,203-224
2/17        (Presidents' Day holiday)

2/19-2/28   Molecular evolution (continued)   same as previous

3/3-3/7     Chromosome evolution              H&C: 99-101,597-603
                                              Futuyma: 60-65,301,303, 236-238
                                              White: Chaps. 7,8,9,12,(11)
                                              Stebbins, Chaps. 1,4,5
                                              JMS: 67-69,224-229
                                              Ridley: pp. 69-71, 74-75, 201

3/10-3/14   Evolution of genetic systems      H&C: 555-560
                                              Futuyma: 261,265,279-282
                                              JMS: Chaps. 13 and 14
                                              Ridley: 199-203, 294-298
(over)

The final exam will be on Wednesday, March 19,  2:30-4:30 pm in the
lecture room.

The lecture of 1/17 will be given by Dr. Peter Beerli.  The lectures of
2/19 and 2/21 will be given by Dr. Mary Kuhner.

Abbreviations for authors of books (see the list of books on resrve at OUGL):

H&C:        Hartl and Clark
JMS:        John Maynard Smith, Evolutionary Genetics

Class newsgroup:  uwash.class.genet453
Class Web site
    http://weber.u.washington.edu/~genetics/courses/genet453/1997/genet453.html
  (if you forget this, you can find it through Courses in the Genetics
   Department site which can be found from the main UW page.)

Call Number       Author/Title/Edition
 
575               Greene, John C.        
G833d             The death of Adam

QH325             Li, Wen-Hsiung and Dan Graur
.L65              Fundamentals of
1991                molecular evolution
 
QH 365            Darwin, Charles
O2 1967           The origin of species
 
QH366.2           Futuyma, Douglas
.F87              Evolutionary Biology (2nd ed.)
1986 
 
QH 366.2          Ridley, Mark
.R524             Evolution
1993 
 
QH366.2           Maynard Smith, John, and Eors Szathmary
.M3918            The major transitions in evolution
1995      
 
QH366.2           Maynard Smith, John
.M392             The theory of evolution
1993     
 
QH 371            Maynard Smith, John 
.M327             Evolutionary Genetics
1989 
 
QH 431            Dobzhansky, Theodosius
D577              Genetics of the evolutionary process
 
QH455             Hartl, Daniel L.
.H36              A primer of population
1988                genetics, 2nd ed.
 
QH455             Hartl, Daniel L. and Andrew Clark
.H37              Principles of population
1989               genetics, 2nd ed.
  
QH 455            Lewontin, R.C.
L48               The genetic basis of
                   evolutionary change
 
QH 581.2          White, M. J. D.
W45               Animal cytology and evolution
1977      
 
QK 981            Stebbins, George Ledyard 
S74               Chromosomal evolution in
                   higher plants 

(I know it makes everyone insecure, but at the graduate level it is standard not to have a textbook. If you go to grad school you'll have to get used to it.) Mostly it's because I can't come up with one that covers adequately the particular mix of topics I give. Make a suggestion on the course newsgroup and we'll discuss it. I have considered or even used Futuyma, Maynard Smith's "Evolutionary Genetics", and others but they don't work. I am trying to compensate by handing out copies of my overheads each time.

Biology 454

The main evolution course at the University, taught yearly by Joel Kingsolver (Zoology Department) and Doug Schemske (Botany Department). Both are well-known researchers in evolutionary biology. Text in past has been Futuyma's "Evolutionary Biology"; This year it is Ridley's "Evolution". Winter quarter.

Zoology 414

Molecular evolution course by Scott Edwards, who is an active researcher in that area. Texts are Li and Graur "Fundamentals of Molecular Evolution" and Avise "Molecular Markers". Winter quarter.

Genetics 562

Now given every other year, this is the graduate theoretical evolutionary genetics course that I give. Lots of equations, though mostly at a low mathematical level. No pictures of cute furry animals. Next time it's given will be Spring, 1997. Text: my own notes, sold inexpensively by ASUW Publications in the HUB.

(number not yet assigned)

This will be a graduate-level course on Phylogenetic Inference. Methods for inferring phylogenies, and methods for doing things with them. Some background in statistics necessary. It will be given every other Spring under a number that has not yet been assigned.

Others

There are more courses and I'll gradually try to put descriptions of them here.

There are many:

Newsgroups

Some brief descriptions of some of the major ones covering evolution:

sci.bio.systematics

Discussion of systematics, including phylogeny and classification. Most postings are serious discussions by researchers. Some percentage of them are semantic issues or legalistic discussions of taxon names.

bionet.molbio.evolution

Discussion among researchers about molecular evolution. Low volume, high quality.

sci.bio.paleontology

Tends to be filled with postings by fossil enthusiasts and tends to be dinosaur-centered. Some creation/evolution debating too.

bionet.population-biology

Supposed to be the forum for discussion by population biologists. But they don't post much there. Occasionally someone sees the "population" in the group title and starts a discussion of human overpopulation issues, which are best discussed elsewhere. This helps ensure that real population biologists will continue to avoid the group.

sci.bio.evolution

Moderated by Josh Hayes of our own Center for Quantitative Sciences, who should get some sort of award for putting up with a lot of nonsense. I think it was intended as a forum for discussion among researchers, but has tended to be filled with postings by others about whether humans are still evolving (answer: yes, but it's extremely slow compared to cultural change) and whether laughter is selectively advantageous. Not intended for evolution/creation debates: Josh screens these out.

talk.origins

The arena for endless debate between creationists and others, with frequent digressions into theology. Extremely high noise to signal ratio. When a decisive point is made, the opponent changes the subject or just refuses to respond.

World Wide Web Pages

The program is freely distributable. It is available from my workstation by anonymous ftp. There you will find:

• a 386 DOS executable version
• a pre-386 DOS version for those who have PC/XT or PC/AT-compatible machines
• a Macintosh version by Mark Wells with somewhat different features
• Source code in C that can be compiled on a Unix workstation with X windows
• an executable for DEC Alpha (OSF1)
• an executable for Sun SPARCstations