物質循環科学II（２）

The semester will be organized in unities, according to the students background and needs. Unity 1: Introductory class, The DNA molecule and its importance for evolution - Course explanation - Concept of evolution in Biology - Introduction to plants’ diversity - RNA World, DNA origin and structure - Central Dogma and DNA Mutation Unity 2: Evidences of Evolution, Evolution and Natural Selection - Natural selection - Adaptation and Speciation - Variation - Mendelian Inheritance - Selective Pressure Unity 3: Population Genetics - Allele frequency & gene pool - Hardy-Weinberg equation - Mechanisms of Evolution - Genetic drift - Bottleneck effect - Founder effect - Long-Distance Dispersal Unity 4: Taxonomy and Systematics - Cladograms & Phylogenetic trees - Parsimony - Monophyletic, paraphyletic and polyphyletic groups - Apomorphy, plesiomorphy - Species and speciation Unity 5: Introduction to plant diversity, Plants’ conquest of land - Plants diversity - Algae diversity - Polyphyletic groups - Life Cycle - Mosses and its allies - Alternate generations – sporophytes x gametophytes Unity 6: The vascular plants - Ferns and its allies - Independence from water - Xylem and Phloem - Apomixy - Reticulate Evolution Unity 7: The seed plants - Gymnosperms - Gametophyte reduction - pollen - Angiosperms I – basal groups and monocots - Pollination and seed dispersion - Basal eudicots, Rosids and Asterids - Evolution of flower shape Unity 8: Course Revision and evaluation

The first half of the course (unities 1 to 4) will focus on the learning of basic concepts, such as natural selection, adaptation, plant taxonomy and others. On the second half (unities 5 to 7), students will use the learned concepts to engage in activities involving reading of scientific articles in the area and discussing questions related to it. Weekly quizzes will be applied to assess the learning outcomes of each class. At the end of the course, students will engage in a project, being required to present a seminar on a research paper provided by the instructor.

Class attendance/participation - 20% Quizzes/exams - 40% Final project - 40%

None - required reading will be provided by the professor.

Dawkins, R., & Wong, Y. (2010). The ancestor's tale: A pilgrimage to the dawn of life. Hachette UK. Judd, W. S., Campbell, C. S., Kellog, E. A., Stevens, P. F., & Donoghue, M. J. (2015). Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach. Sinauer, 1st ed. Ridley, M. (2004). Evolution. Oxford University press. Simpson, M. G. (2010). Plant systematics. Academic press.

Field trips around campus and to the Museum of Natural History are scheduled.

Dr. Diego Tavares Vasques The University of Tokyo – Center for Global Communication Strategies (CGCS)

The instructor is a Biologist with experience in the field of Systematics and Taxonomy of plants. Readings and discussion topics presented during the semester will be directly related with the instructor field of research. Additionally, methodology classes will provide students with a hands-on experience on plants collection and identification field work.