INTRODUCTION TO POPULATION BIOLOGY
AND EVOLUTION - BDC222
2009
Note: 2009 is the first year that this module is being offered. As a transition measure
for this year, we have split the course into Population Biology in term 3 (equivalent to
the old BCB241), and Evolution in term 4 (equivalent to the old BCB231). Students
who require one of these modules in order to promote will be allowed to attend either
component. This concession is valid for 2009 only.
Objectives:
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To train students in the basic theories of population dynamics
To provide students with the necessary field skills to enable them to undertake
population surveys
To provide students with the necessary skills to enable them to build simple
models of populations
To provide students with some of the basic information that will enable them
to make informed decisions regarding the management of biological
populations.
To guide students to become familiar with the principles of natural selection
and evolution
To train students in the principles of species descriptions, and to make them
conversant with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
To train students in phylogeny reconstruction, and classification
Required Background (Population dynamics):
Any course on population dynamics requires a certain level of background theory and
skills, if it is to be successful. For this course, they include:
A working knowledge of:
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Measures of central tendency (Mean, Median, Mode, Variance, STD)
The Normal Distribution and SE; Student’s t-test and 95% Confidence Intervals
Chi-Square tests
MSExcel
As many of you may lack this background, it will be necessary to spend the first week
completing this work.
Approach:
The course is a balance between theory, laboratory and field: any person that
goes on to work (e.g. in nature conservation) needs to know why data on populations
need to be collected, they need to know how to collect the data and then how to
analyse the data. They may also need to make informed decisions (often of a
management nature) based on the data. As a consequence, any course on population
dynamics needs to include elements of theory, fieldwork and laboratory simulation,
and here the theory and laboratory simulation go very much hand in hand.
In order to document and conserve biodiversity, it is essential to understand
what a "species" is, as this is the basic unit of conservation. This course will enable
participants to apply the latest approaches to recognising species, and provide some
experience in applying the Rules of Zoological Nomenclature.
Content:
Theory and Laboratory simulation
Basics
Birth and Death – age and stage specific
Types of life-cycles: non-/overlapping generations, semel-/iteroparity
Pictorial Life Tables
Cohort and Static Life Tables
Derivation of R0, Tc, r and R
Intra-specific Competition
Theory
Derivation of a model with discrete breeding seasons
Impact of time-lags
Abundance
Theories behind Fluctuations
Key-Factor analysis
Population Cycles and their analysis
Managing Populations
Harvesting – MSY [Yield per recruit Models]
Field Skills
Survey Methods:
Mark-Recapture: Open and Closed Populations
Quadrats
Evolution
Evidence for change
Mechanisms at the population and genetic levels
Sexual selection
Laboratory Skills
Computer-based phylogenetic analysis using parsimony, maximum likelihood,
and direct optimization.
Simulated species description, following the appropriate rules.
TIMETABLE
There will be three lectures per week and two practical classes. The classes for
the third term will take place in Z29, and those for the fourth term will take place in
Z6.
Lectures: Monday 12h00; Tuesday 08h30; Thursday 08h30
Practicals: Monday 14h00 to 17h00; Friday 14h00 to 17h00
Additional classes for Population Biology may be offered.
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Date
13/7
13/7
14/7
16/7
17/7
20/7
20/7
21/7
23/7
24/7
27/7
27/7
28/7
30/7
31/7
3/8
3/8
4/8
6/8
7/8
10/8
11/8
13/8
14/8
17/8
17/8
18/8
20/8
21/8
24/8
24/8
25/8
27/8
28/8
Day
Mon
Mon
Tues
Thurs
Fri
Mon
Mon
Tues
Thurs
Fri
Mon
Mon
Tues
Thurs
Fri
Mon
Mon
Tues
Thurs
Fri
Mon
Tues
Thurs
Fri
Mon
Mon
Tues
Thurs
Fri
Mon
Mon
Tues
Thurs
Fri
Time
12h00
14h00
8h30
8h30
14h00
12h00
14h00
8h30
8h30
14h00
12h00
14h00
8h30
8h30
14h00
12h00
14h00
8h30
8h30
14h00
8h30
8h30
14h00
12h00
14h00
8h30
8h30
14h00
12h00
14h00
8h30
8h30
14h00
Topic
Evaluation
Introduction
Statistics & MSExcel
Statistics & MSExcel
Statistics & MSExcel
Statistics & MSExcel
Life Tables
Life Tables
Life Tables
Life Tables
Life Tables
Mark-Recapture
Mark-Recapture
Mark-Recapture
Quadrats
Quadrats
Quadrats
Quadrats
Intra-spp Competition
Intra-spp Competition
TEST 1
PUBLIC HOLIDAY
Intra-spp Competition Report 1
Intra-spp Competition
Intra-spp Competition
Abundance
Abundance
Abundance
Harvesting
Harvesting
Harvesting
Harvesting
Revision
Revision
Revision
Report 2
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
31/8
Mon
7/9
7/9
8/9
Mon
Mon
Tues
12h00
14h00
8h30
10/9
Thurs
8h30
11/9
14/9
Fri
Mon
14h00
12h00
14/9
15/9
17/9
18/9
21/9
21/9
22/9
24/9
25/9
28/9
28/9
30/9
1/10
2/10
5/10
5/10
6/10
8/10
9/10
Mon
Tues
Thurs
Fri
Mon
Mon
Tues
Thurs
Fri
Mon
Mon
Tues
Thurs
Fri
Mon
Mon
Tues
Thurs
Fri
14h00
8h30
8h30
14h00
12h00
14h00
8h30
12/10
12/10
13/10
15/10
16/10
19/10
Mon
Mon
Tues
Thurs
Fri
Mon
12h00
14h00
8h30
8h30
14h00
12h00
19/10
20/10
22/10
23/10
Mon
Tues
Thurs
Fri
14h00
8h30
8h30
14h00
14h00
12h00
14h00
8h30
8h30
14h00
12h00
14h00
8h30
8h30
14h00
MID-TERM
BREAK
Evolution lecture
Evolution of bacteria
Molecular and
Mendelian genetics
Evidence for
evolution
Evolution of bacteria
Natural selection and
variation
Evolution of bacteria
Molecular evolution
Sexual selection
Evolution of bacteria
Species concepts
Evolution of bacteria
Speciation
PUBLIC HOLIDAY
Evolution of bacteria Report 3
Review discussion
Reading descriptions
Phylogeny
Phylogeny
Reading descriptions
TEST 2
Nomenclature Rules
Phylogenetics Prac
Phylogenetics Prac
Phylogenetics Prac
Morphological
characters
Molecular characters
Species description
Revision
Revision
Species description
Species &
Conservation
Species description
Revision
Revision
Species description
Report 4
Evaluation:
Evaluation will take the form of continuous assessment. This continuous
assessment is broken up as follows:
Class tests (33%) + Practical work (67%) = Course Mark
Course Mark (60%) + Exam (40%) = Final Mark
Class Tests
The First Class test will be held on Friday 7 August 2009 at 13h00: Z29.
Students will be tested on ALL material covered up to and including that of Thursday
6th August 2009. The Second Class test is optional (conditional upon performance in
the first test) and will be held at 08h00 on Saturday 15th August 2000: Z29. Students
will be tested on ALL material covered up to and including that of, Friday 14th August
2009. The better of the two test marks will be awarded to the student for assessment
purposes.
The Third Class test will be held on Friday 2 October 2009 at 13h00 in Z6. There will
be no additional tests.
Continuous Assessment
Continuous evaluation includes essays, group-work, worksheets, tests and
tutorials – all of which constitute the practical work. In this course, the practical
component will comprise four evaluations. These are listed below as well as their
contributions towards the Final Mark.
1)
2)
3)
4)
Estimating population sizes and/or determining the age of individuals in a
population (e.g. teleost fishes and sharks, various mammals, trees and
Protea) –power point presentation (5%)
Practical Report – Mark-Recapture (15%)
Practical report - Bacterial evolution (10%)
Species description in journal format (10%)
BCB Department Rules regarding Plagiarism
The BCB Department follows the Faculty of Science Rules regarding plagiarism:
In the occasion of a first offence, the student will be given a zero for any
submitted and plagiarized work. She/he can resubmit the work, which can be awarded
a maximum of 50%. In addition, the student is expected to apologise in writing to the
Department for plagiarizing in said piece of work.
In the occasion of a second offence, the student will be reported directly to the
Proctor of the University, who may decide to implement disciplinary action.
BCB Department Rules regarding the late submission of assignments
Late assignments and reports will cost the student 10% of the final mark per day late.
Thus, if an assignment would have been awarded a mark of 78% and the assignment
was submitted three days late, the mark that will eventually be awarded would be
54.6% (78 – 3*7.8).
Pass or Fail?
A student is deemed to have passed the course if her/his Final mark (i.e. Class Tests +
Practical/Other + Exam) is ≥50% AND the Exam mark is ≥40% AND the Practical
mark is ≥50%.
Should a student obtain a Final mark of ≥50% AND have a Practical mark of
≥50% BUT have an Exam mark <40%, then that student will get an opportunity to
write a Supplementary Exam, which will be held at the end of the examination period.
This exam will test the student on ALL the work undertaken in the module.
Should a student obtain a Final mark of 45-49%, AND the Practical mark is
≥50%, then that student will have an opportunity to write a Supplementary Exam,
which will be held at the end of the examination period. This exam will test the
student on ALL the work undertaken in the module.
Should a student obtain a Coursework mark (i.e. Class tests + Practical/other)
of ≥50% AND have a Practical mark of ≥50% AND have an Exam mark of ≥30%
then that student will get an opportunity to write a Supplementary Exam, which will
be held at the end of the examination period. This exam will test the student on ALL
the work undertaken in the module.
A student who does not meet the above grades fails and is not eligible to sit
the Supplementary Exam.
A student who fails to get a mark of 50% in the Practical work automatically
fails, regardless of the Coursework or Exam mark – such a student not being eligible
to sit the final exam. Similarly, a student that fails to obtain a course-work mark of
less than 40% is not eligible to sit the final exam.
Readings
Although there are no prescribed books for this course, the following texts are
recommended (especially those in bold-typeface): all are currently placed on shortloan at the UWC library.
Begon, M., Harper, J.L. and Townsend, C.R. (1990). Ecology: Individuals,
Populations and Communities. Blackwell Scientific Publications, 945pp.
Begon, M. and Mortimer, M. (1986). Population Ecology: A Unified Study of
Animals and Plants. Blackwell Scientific Publications, 220pp.
Ebert, T.A. (1999). Plant and Animal Populations: Methods in Demography.
Academic Press, 312pp
Krebs, C.J. (1999). Ecological Methodology. Benjamin Cummings, 620pp.
Ridley, M. (2004) Evolution (3rd edition). Blackwell. 751 pp.
Sutherland, W.J. (2000). Ecological Census Techniques: A Handbook. Cambridge
University Press, 336pp
Zar, J.H. (1984) Biostatistical Analysis. Prentice-Hall
All lectures and supplementary material given in the population biology component of
this module will be placed onto the BCB Department website, and can be
located by following the links on online resources to BDC222.
Who is teaching the course?
Professor Mark Gibbons (Course Coordinator)
Rm 108 Old Zoology, BCB Department
Tel: 959 2475
Email: mgibbons@uwc.ac.za
Professor Alan Channing
Rm 112 Old Zoology, BCB Department
Tel 959 2261
email: achanning@uwc.ac.za