Plant Evolutionary Biology is a new class designed to address the conceptual basis of evolutionary biology with extra attention to the challenges of plants. This is because plants can often violate many of the assumptions made when deriving the foundational evolutionary theory, and our understanding of some of these features are active areas of research. Because of the intrinsic connection between genetics and evolution, and the transformative impact of modern genomics on all aspects of biological research, there will be a heavy emphasis on genomic data and molecular perspective on evolution. Organismal examples will focus mostly on major angiosperm groups that are relevant to agriculture, ecosystem services, or with some potential for translational research. This choice is to help align the course with likely on-campus research experiences. To cover all of plant evolution in a single semester is an impossible task, but a student in the class should leave well-prepared for further research in the field, addressing inquiries about evolutionary biology as it relates to other areas of plant biology, and casual chats with friends and strangers about how evolution is not a deterministic process.

Learning Goals

  • Understand the foundations of population genetics
  • Develop conceptual understanding of processes underlying plant speciation
  • Approach plant evolutionary biology from a phylogenetic framework
  • Become familiar with mechanisms underlying plant genome evolution
  • Identify key innovations in plant evolution with respect to diversification and the success of major groups
  • Critically analyses literature in plant evolutionary biology from systematics to multi-omics
  • Appreciate plant diversity

Learning Outcomes

  • Evaluate evidence for local adaption in practical scenarios
  • Derive independent assessments about species statuses
  • Know the plant tree of life and evolutionary innovations of major groups
  • Be familier with databases and methods used to carry out plant evolution research
  • Critically read plant evolution literature to support basic and applied research
  • Design research that uses comparative methods to elucidate the genetic basis of traits
  • Communicate plant biology and evolution effectively to a technical audience
  • Write significant portions of a fellowship application or background relevant to personal research

Instructors

George Tiley - please reach out with questions about the class in advance if helpful for your planning. Details such as office hours will be posted as we get closer to the semester start date.