BZ3410:03
Biological Evolution and Diversity in the Tropics
| Cairns | HECS Band 2 |
26 hours lectures, 13 hours tutorials, 30 hours practicals. Semester 1.
Staff: Assoc. Professor P Gadek.
This subject is an advanced treatment of evolutionary biology and the methods and principles of biological systematics, covering the discovery, description and interpretation of biological diversity, as well as the synthesis of information on diversity in the form of predictive classification systems.
Topics covered include classification, systematics and phylogeny; phylo- and bio-geography, adaptive evolution and evolutionary ecology. Examples from the flora and fauna of tropical Australia will be used where appropriate. The subject involves intensive computer use at scheduled times.
Learning Objectives:
- to gain an understanding of species concepts and modes of speciation;
- to gain an appreciation of applying evolutionary theory to phylogeny and classification of plants and animals;
- to become familiar with current literature on evolutionary biology;
- to develop skills in computer-assisted manipulation and analysis of data, writing and presentation of results.
Assessment by examination (60%); on-course assessment (40%).