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Biodiversity

Code: 100931 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2500253 Biotechnology OT 4

Contact

Name:
Miquel Riba Rovira
Email:
miquel.riba@uab.cat

Teachers

Jessica Martinez Vargas
Francesc Muņoz Muņoz

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

-  Basic knowledge on plant and animal morphology and systematics

-  Basic concepts on population genetics

-  Basic knowledge about methods for statistical inference.


Objectives and Contextualisation

Biotechnological development is mainly based on the use of a great variety of biological entities, forms and processes, collectively known as “Biodiversity”. The “ultimate” causes explaining the origin and maintenance of such overwhelming diversity are deeply grounded on the evolutionary processes. Evolutionary facts and processes will be analyzed at different biological scales, from molecules to ecosystems, and from changes taking place within populations during several generations to patterns observed over the millennia. One of the firs principles of the Theory of Evolution is the one about diversification from a common ancestor, meaning the existence of genealogical relationships between organisms. In that sense, one of the main goals of the course is the study of genealogic/phylogenetic relationships between organisms and how these relations are built from basic evolutionary principles.

The main objectives of the course are:

1)   To widen the understanding of the causes, processes and consequences of Evolution.

  1. Recognize the main evolutionary trends during diversification of biota throughout the history of life in our planet.
  2. Understand the main evolutionary mechanisms and how they interact with ecological processes.

2)   To provide the basic conceptual and methodological tools needed to analyze evolutionary processes using the scientific method by:

  1. Incorporating the dynamic view of evolutionary changes into the study and characterization of natural and anthropogenic systems.
  2. Understanding and establishing evolutionary relationships between organisms at every taxonomic level using the basic bioinformatics techniques.
  3. Enhancing the skills to develop a scientific perspective when facing complex problems and phenomena.

3)   To reflect and develop a critical view on the social consequences and impact of the use of Biodiversity in the light of the Evolutionary Theory.


Learning Outcomes

  1. CM31 (Competence) Work collaboratively in teams to solve problems and case studies in the field of applied biology.
  2. KM33 (Knowledge) Determine biological entities in the regulation of natural services essential for human and environmental health.
  3. SM30 (Skill) Perform functional tests for the characterisation of vital parameters in plants.

Content

CONTENTS(*):

PARTE-I. Microevolución: Procesos evolutives en poblacions i especies (*).

  1. Introducción a la biología evolutiva: principios fundamentales.
  2. Evolución molecular y caracterización de la variabilidad genética.
  3. Cuantificación de la variabilidad y la estructura genética de las poblaciones.  Deriva genética y migración. Sistemas de reproducción. Número de efectivos poblacionales. Genómica e inferencias demográficas.
  4. Unidades y niveles de selección. Selección natural: efectos y caracterización. Adaptación y exaptación. Determinación de las adaptaciones: experimentos, estudios observacionales y métodos comparativos. Genómica y selección natural. Selección natural y sexual.
  5. Evolución de características y estrategias vitales: principios generales y limitaciones. Modelos de dinámica adaptativa y teoría de juegos evolutiva.
  6. Especiación. Concepto de especie y genética de la especiación. Especiación y dinámica de zonas híbridas. Geografía de la especiación: especiación simpátrica, peripátrica y alopátrica.

PARTE-II. Historia de la vida i macroevolución (*).

  1. Los orígenes de la vida y evolución precámbrica. El árbol de la vida.
  2. Pautas y procesos en la evolución vegetal. Extinción y supervivencia de los vegetales des de la perspectiva del registro fósil. Origen i diversificación de las Angiospermas.
  3. Pautas y procesos en evolución animal. La especiación des del punto de vista del registro fósil. Tasas y tipos de cambio morfológico. Tendencias evolutivas. Evolución de la Biodiversidad. Evolución de la forma: mutaciones homeóticas i genes HOX. Dinámica del cambio evolutivo: heterocronías.

(*) Unless the requirements enforced by the health authorities demand a prioritization or reduction of these contents.


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Computer Lab 6 0.24
In-Class Theoretical Lectures 39 1.56
Seminars and In-class Individual and Group Activities 7 0.28
Type: Supervised      
Data Analyses and Writting Activities 10 0.4
Type: Autonomous      
Individual assignements and study 80 3.2

1) Theoretical lectures: 39 h. in-class attendance

2) Seminars, discussions and student directed learning: 4 h. in-class attendance.

3) Practical learning in computer lab: 7 h. lab attendance.

4) Personal work and study: 80 h.

5) Preparing and writing of group work and personal assignment: 12 h

6) Exams and evaluation: 8 h

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Practical work, seminars, personal and group assignments 50% 4 0.16 CM31
Written exams and tests on theoretical lectures 50% 4 0.16 KM33, SM30

- The evaluation system is organized into 2 units:

1)   UNIT-1. Theory. Tests and written exams on theoretical lectures: 50% of the final mark. This unit will be made of two independent exams:

1.1.   Part. I. Microevolution: evolutionary processes in populations and species: 50% unit’s mark (25% final mark)

1.2.   Part. II. Macroevolution and the history of life: 50% unit’s mark (25% final mark).

2) UNIT-2. Practical work, seminars, personal and group assignments: 50% of the final mark:

2.1. Individual exam on the practical work of the evolutionary analysis of morphological variation: 30% of the unit’s mark (15% final mark).

2.2. Individual exam of activities in the computer lab about methods of phylogenetic inference: 70% of the unit’s mark (35% final mark).

- Students have the right to have a retake of all the evaluation activities.

- To be eligible for the retake process, the student should have been previously evaluated in a set of activities equaling at least two thirds of the final score of the course or module. Thus, the student will be graded as "No Avaluable" if the weighthin of all conducted evaluation activities is less than 67% of the final score

- Dates and time schedules for exams and evaluation assessments will be indicated in the calendar provided by the coordinator or by the teaching staff.

- Passing a midterm exam of UNIT-1 implies full achievement of its content, skills and competences and do not need to be re-assessed in the final second-chance examination.

- To pass the course the student must get at least 5/10 in UNIT-1. Exams with marks lower than 4/10 will not be used in this calculation.

- The students that successfully pass the theoreticalunit (UNIT-1) also have the right accessing the second-chance reassessment exam so as to improve their mark in this unit. In this case, the final mark for this unit will be the one attained in this reassessment examination.

- Students also have the possibility to be graded with a single assessment.

- Students taking the single assessment option must notify the subject coordinator before taking the first continuous assessment test. Students taking any of the continuous assessment tests will be excluded from the right to a single assessment.

- The single assessment option will include all the types and individual assessment activities provided for in the continuous assessment:

UNIT-1: will consist of a test in which the contents of the entire theory program of the subject will be evaluated.

UNIT-2: will be assessed with the same type of tests that are carried out in the continuous assessment.

- The assessment activities will take place on the same day as the last continuous assessment test of the subject.

- The single assessment option also allows the second-chance reassessment.


Bibliography

BASIC TEXTS:

Carrión, J.S. 2003. Evolución vegetal. DM. Murcia.

Freeman, S. & Herron J.C. 2007. Evolutionary Analysis. 4th. Edition. Pearson.

Futuyma, D.J. & Kirkpatrick M. 2017. Evolution. 4th edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland.

Gould, S.J. 1977. Ontogeny and Phylogeny. Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Massachusetts).

Gould, S.J. 2004. La estructura de la teoría de la evolución. Tusquets Editores, Barcelona.

Hall, B.K. & Hallgrimsson, B. 2008. Strickberger's Evolution. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury.

Judd, W.S. et al. 2002. Plant Systematics. A phylogenetic approach. 2ª ed. Sinauer Associates Inc. Sunderland.

MacLeod, N. & Forey, P.L. 2002.  Morphology, shape and phylogeny. Systematic Association Special Volume Series 64. Taylor and Francis, London.

Stearns S.C. & Hoekstra R.F. 2005. Evolution. An Introduction. 2nd. Edition. Oxford University Press.

Strasburger, E. et al. 2004. Tratado de Botànica. 35ª ed. Ed. Omega. Barcelona.

Willmer, P. 1991. Invertebrate realtionships. Patterns in animal evolution. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Willis, K.J. & McElwain, J.C. 2002. The Evolution of Plants. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

Zelditch, M.L., Swiderski, D.L., Sheets, D. i Fink, W.L. 2004. Geometric morphometrics for biologists: a Primer. Elsevier, San Diego, CA.

 

INTERNET RESOURCES:

http://tolweb.org

http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/morph/

http://1kai.dokkyomed.ac.jp/mammal/en/mammal.html

 


Software

- R for Statistical Computing / Rstudio /Jamovi

- Mega Software


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 231 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 232 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 231 Catalan second semester afternoon
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 232 Catalan second semester afternoon
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 233 Catalan second semester afternoon
(TE) Theory 23 Catalan second semester morning-mixed