COURSE UNIT TITLE

: EVOLUTION AND TAXONOMY

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
GEE 5062 EVOLUTION AND TAXONOMY ELECTIVE 2 0 0 7

Offered By

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences

Level of Course Unit

Second Cycle Programmes (Master's Degree)

Course Coordinator

PROFESSOR DOCTOR FUNDA AKGÜN

Offered to

Applied Geology
Applied Geology

Course Objective

The course Taxonomy and Evolution aims at familiarizing the geology student with the basic principles and techniques of taxonomic analysis (minor Biodiversity, Morphology and Evolution), phylogenetic and morphologic reconstruction, and the evolutionary processes leading to biodiversity.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   To be able to discuss biodiversity, population biology, biogeography, invertebrates, vertebrates and land plants.
2   To be able to describe the knowledge of basic principles, concepts and techniques of taxonomic research.
3   To be able to describe the knowledge of processes leading to evolution of pro- and eukaryotic organisms.
4   To be able to apply technical knowledge used in evolutionary studies (molecular methods and morphologic and filogenetic analysis).
5   To be able to select the appropriate technique and method of analysis in function of the specific evolutionary question.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Taxonomic principles and techniques: classification types, species concepts, diagnosis, zoological and botanical nomenclature.
2 Taxonomic principles and techniques: taxonomic revision, collection, data management, recent topics in taxonomy and systematics.
3 Phylogenetic reconstruction of morphological and molecular data: characters and character states, distance methods.
4 Phylogenetic reconstruction of morphological and molecular data: cladistics, parsimony, maximum affinity
5 Phylogenetic reconstruction of morphological and molecular data: evolutionary models, molecular clock.
6 Important steps in evolution: anorganic evolution, emergence of life, cellular evolution.
7 Important steps in evolution:evolution of sexuality, multi-cell transition, amphibia.
8 Mid term
9 Important steps in evolution:appearance of warm-blooded, development of the concept of evolution.
10 Important steps in evolution:development of scientific ideas about evolution.
11 Evidence for evolution and mutation, variation and modification concepts.
12 Evolution of mechanisms: natural selection, sexual selection, reproductive isolation
13 Evolution of mechanisms to: origin of species, importance of chance in evolution, extinction.
14 Evolution of mechanisms to: origin of species, importance of chance in evolution, extinction.

Recomended or Required Reading

Ridley, M., 1996. Evolution. Blackwell Science.
Demirsoy, A., 1998, Kalıtım ve Evrim, METEKSAN Yayınları: No:11, METEKSAN basımevi, 902 s., 534 şekil, Ankara.
Demirsoy, A., 1998, Genel Biyoloji/Genel Zooloji (Yaşamın Temel Kuralları), Cilt I/kısım I, Hacettepe Üniversitesi Yayınları A: 52, METEKSAN basımevi, 770 s., 357 şekil, Ankara,
Brenchley, P. and Harper, D., 1998, Palaeoecology: Ecosystems, Environments, and Evolution, Chapman & Hall, ISBN: 0-412-43450-4
Patzkowsky, 2000, Palaeoecology: Ecosystems, Environments, and Evolution. Palaios,15: 255.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Oral and visual presentations, homework and discussion.

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 ASG ASSIGNMENT
2 PAR PARTICIPATION
3 FIN FINAL EXAM
4 FCG FINAL COURSE GRADE ASG * 0.30 +PAR * 0.20 +FIN * 0.50
5 RST RESIT
6 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) ASG * 0.30 +PAR * 0.20 +RST * 0.50


Further Notes About Assessment Methods

Students collect the information from the literature and the web, and prepare a report and a presentation.

Assessment Criteria

Learning outcomes 1,2, 3, will be testified by homework report and presentation, midterm exam.
The other learning outcomes 5 ve 6 will be testified by midterm and final exams.

Language of Instruction

Turkish

Course Policies and Rules

To be announced.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

Prof. Dr. Funda AKGUN
Dokuz Eylül University, Engineering Faculty, Departmen of Geology Enginering

Office Hours

To be announced.

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 13 2 26
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 10 2 20
Preparation for midterm exam 1 36 36
Preparation for final exam 1 41 41
Preparing assignments 2 25 50
Final 1 2 2
Midterm 1 2 2
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 177

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8PO.9PO.10PO.11PO.12PO.13PO.14
LO.15555
LO.25555
LO.35555
LO.455555
LO.555555