Phylogenetic Systematics
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| Syllabus | Lecture notes | Class-presentation topics |
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Purpose
Phylogenetic systematics is the study of evolutionary relatedness among populations, species, and higher groups. It comprises a set of methods designed to infer patterns of evolutionary descent, patterns that are needed to understand the evolutionary processes responsible for the origin and diversification of species. Phylogenetic trees are basic structures used to depict relationships and to produce evolutionarily relevant classifications. Phylogenetics is a flourishing area of interaction among biology, statistics, mathematics, and computer science. The methods and concepts of phylogenetics are also relevant to a diverse range of fields, including genetics, morphology, paleontology, ecology, anthropology, epidemiology and medicine, as well as linguistics and cognitive psychology.
This course will not be geared toward data analysis or particular applications of software to estimate trees. Rather, we will survey the philosophy, concepts, principles and methodology of phylogenetic inference.
The course will be flexibly lecture-oriented, based on the provisional outline but with short tangential subjects pursued at any time as the need or desire arises. Suggestions for additional or different topics are welcome. Throughout the semester students will give oral presentations on relevant topics.
There is no textbook. Reading assignments will be from the primary and secondary literature, as the course proceeds. However, the following book is recommended as a general source of information about phylogenetics:
Felsenstein, J. 2004. Inferring phylogenies. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland MA. ISBN 0-87893-177-5.
Grades will be based on one or more oral presentations and a final research paper. The paper can be on the same topic as the oral presentation or, if you prefer, on a different topic.
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