2005-06 - Office of the Registrar - Duke University

offered at UNC-CH, "Animal Societies and Communication." Prerequisite: Biology 166 or
equivalent. Instructor: Nowicki. 3 units.
277S. Foundations of Behavioral Ecology. Readings on behavioral ecology, both
historical papers and papers from the current literature that represent the most vital areas of
research in the discipline. Instructors: Alberts and Nowicki. 3 units.
278S. Genetic Basis of Behavior. The relationship between genotype and behavioral
phenotype. Readings from the primary literature, including papers on humans, lab mice, and
wild animal populations. Exploration of two philosophical topics: the question of causality
in the natural world and the question of determinism in biology. Short research paper
required. Instructor: Alberts. 3 units.
279S. Developmental Biology Colloquium. Lectures, seminars, and discussion of current
topics in developmental biology. Prerequisites: Biology 118 and/or 119 or equivalent.
Instructor: McClay. 3 units.
280S. Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. Applications of recombinant DNA in
medicine and in agriculture. Topics include diagnosis of genetic diseases, gene therapy,
drugs for AIDS and cancer, DNA fingerprinting, cloning of mammals, phytoremediation,
crop improvement, and pharmaceutical protein production in transgenic plants and animals.
Social and environmental impacts of biotechnology. Prerequisites: Biology 118 and 119 or
consent of instructor. Instructor: Sun. 3 units.
281. DNA, Chromosomes, and History. Past and present research on evolution, genetics,
and chromosome biology. The curious path to our present understanding of inheritance
including how genes got put on chromosomes and the fluctuating fortunes of DNA.
Implications of current research on chromosome and genome organization for evolutionary
biology. Prerequisite: an introductory course in genetics or cell or molecular biology, or
consent of instructor. Instructor: Nicklas. 3 units.
282. Mechanisms of Development/Developmental Genetics. 2 units. C-L: see Cell
Biology 282
283. Developmental Genetics. 2 units. C-L: see Cell Biology 283
284. Molecular Population Genetics. Genetic mechanisms of evolutionary change at the
DNA sequence level. Models of nucleotide and amino acid substitution; linkage disequilibrium
and joint evolution of multiple loci; analysis of evolutionary processes, including
neutrality, adaptive selection, and hitchhiking; hypothesis testing in molecular evolution;
estimation of evolutionary parameters; case histories of molecular evolution. For graduate
students and undergraduates with interests in genetics, evolution, or mathematics.
Instructor: Uyenoyama. 3 units.
286. Evolutionary Mechanisms. Population ecology and population genetics of plants and
animals. Fitness concepts, life history evolution, mating systems, genetic divergence, and
causes and maintenance of genetic diversity. Prerequisites: Biology 25L and 120 or
equivalents. Instructors: Rausher and Uyenoyama. 3 units.
287S. Macroevolution. Evolutionary patterns and processes at and above the species level;
species concepts, speciation, diversification, extinction, ontogeny and phylogeny, rates of
evolution, and alternative explanations for adaptation and evolutionary trends. Prerequisite:
Biology 25L, 26L, or other course in plant or animal diversity; recommended, Biology 120
or equivalent. Instructor: Roth. 3 units. C-L: Biological Anthropology and Anatomy 287S
288. Mathematical Population Genetics. Principles of formulation and analysis of
dynamic mathematical models of genetic evolution. Rotating topics include: mating
systems, sex ratio, stochastic processes. Prerequisites: calculus; statistics and linear algebra
recommended. Instructor: Uyenoyama. 3 units.
292. Population Ecology. Explores key questions in population ecology from a theoretical
perspective. Topics include demography and dynamics of structured populations, stochastic
population dynamics, and life history characteristics. Prerequisites: Biology 110L or 112
and consent of instructor. Instructors: Morris and Wilson. 3 units.
84 Courses and Academic Programs