The origin of species is a key question in evolutionary biology. This course will review our
current knowledge on speciation including major advances made recently. The lectures
will give a combined view of empirical and theoretical research, but will penetrate theory at
greater depth by investigating influential models of speciation.
The course is intended for advanced undergraduates and graduate students, who are familiar with
the basic models of population genetics. Next to the lectures (2x2 hours / week for half a semester),
each student chooses a particular topic (a key point of discussion, an empirical system or a
mathematical model) to study in more detail. The results of this study will be written up in an essay.
The course language is English.
Time and place
The next time this course will be given is to be announced with the new Masters Programme of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Course code, exam and credits
Course code: 523119
The course gives 4 credits (op) upon a written exam based on the lectures (70%)
and a take-home essay (30%), evaluated 0-5.
Admission
To enroll, send an email to Eva Kisdi (eva.kisdi [funny character] helsinki.fi).
The course can take 15 students.
Lecturer
Eva Kisdi
(Department of Mathematics and Statistics; PhD in Biology, docent of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
Office: Kumpula campus, EXACTUM, room A420
Literature
For the exam, only the lecture material is required. Apart from the material assigned for the individual essays,
studying the literature is optional.
- Coyne J. A. & H. A. Orr. 2004. Speciation. Sinauer Associates Inc., USA.
- Gavrilets S. 2004. Fitness landscapes and the origin of species. Princeton University Press.
- Dieckmann U., M. Doebeli, J.A.J. Metz, & D. Tautz (eds). 2004. Adaptive speciation. Cambridge University Press.
Lecture files
The slides used in the first part of each lecture will be available in pdf. The second (modelling) parts are
developed on the board and unfortunately will not be available in electronic form.
