BIOL 344 Genetics and Evolution

An intensive introduction to the field of molecular biology, stressing concepts and theories that underlie our understanding of diversity and evolution. Topics include Mendelian inheritance, structure of DNA and RNA, DNA replication, origins of diversity, evolutionary change, and conservation genetics. Quantitative evaluation and genetic variation is emphasized. Prerequisites: CHEM 111 or 121, BIOL 201, and MATH 102

Credits

5

Outcomes

1. Recognize and be able to sketch the basic structural elements of genetics (chromosomes, genes, and alleles), and summarize how these elements are related to one another.
2. List and describe the basic modes of Mendelian inheritance: dominance/recessiveness, incomplete dominance, sex-linkage, and epistasis; calculate allelic probabilities; and discern these modes from distributions of phenotypes resulting from crosses and from pedigrees.
3. Recognize the sources of genetic variation: gene flow and mutation.
4. Describe, in detail, the basic principles and ideas underlying evolutionary theory and its history.
5. Recall the broad outline of major evolutionary events in the history of life and summarize how they have shape the biota; summarize broadly what species are and how they form.