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   Evolutionary Biology
   at San Diego State University


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Undergraduate
Program

Undergraduate Courses in Evolutionary Biology
[Note: see SDSU Undergraduate Catalog for more information.]


Undergraduate Upper Division Courses (300-400 level)

BIOL 319. Evolution (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in
Foundations II.A.2. Life Sciences. If a biological sciences course is
not taken to satisfy General Education II.A.2. Life Sciences, a college
course in biological sciences is required.
Modern theory of organic evolution with emphasis on processes
involved as they relate to past, present, and future evolution of mankind.
Not applicable to biological sciences majors; see Biology 352.

BIOL 352. Genetics and Evolution (3) I,II
Prerequisites: Biology 201A, 201B, and 215.
Principles of transmission genetics, population genetics, and evolution.

BIOL 460. Economic Botany (3)
Two lectures and three hours of laboratory.
Prerequisites: Biology 201A and 201B.
Plants of agricultural, economic, and historical importance. Topics
include basic plant morphology, anatomy, and taxonomy, plant
genetics, agricultural breeding and propagation techniques, vegetables
and fruits, spices and herbs, beverage plants, woods and plant
fibers.

BIOL 490. Undergraduate Honors Research (3)
Prerequisites: Upper division standing with GPA of at least 3.20,
four units of Biology 499, and approval of honors research program
coordinator.
Experience in designing and carrying out independent research
in a laboratory setting plus a written record of experimental design
and results in the form of an honors research thesis to be presented at
an undergraduate research forum and/or defended before a committee.
Does not satisfy laboratory requirement in major. Maximum credit
six units.

BIOL 496. Experimental Topics (1-4)
Selected topics. May be repeated once with new content. See
Class Schedule for specific content. Limit of nine units of any combination
of 296, 496, 596 courses applicable to a bachelor’s degree.

BIOL 497. Undergraduate Research (1-3) I, II, S
Fifty hours of research per unit.
Prerequisites: Upper division status in good standing and consent
of instructor.
Individual research project, supervised by faculty. Research
course with research paper or other presentation of results. Maximum
credit six units applicable to general biology major, three units to
microbiology major, for any combination of Biology 497 and 499.

BIOL 499. Special Study (1-3) I, II, S
Fifty hours of activity per unit.
Prerequisites: Upper division status in good standing and consent
of instructor.
Individual study, internship, other supervised laboratory or field
project or experience. Credit involves 50 hour activity per unit per
semester and a report. Maximum credit six units applicable to general
biology major, three units applicable to microbiology major, for
any combination of Biology 497 and 499.

Undergraduate Upper Division / Graduate Courses (500 level)

BIOL 508. Coevolution (3)
Prerequisites: Biology 352 and 354.
Coevolution in interspecific interactions, like herbivory, predation,
parasitism, competition, pollination, and mimicry.

BIOL 509. Evolutionary Biology (3)
Two lectures and two hours of activity.
Prerequisite: Biology 352.
Evolutionary biology including genetics of populations, speciation,
systematic biology, adaptation, role of development in evolution,
evolution of behavior, and comparative biology. Evolutionary
biology as the central organizing principle of biology.

BIOL 510. Molecular Evolution (3)
Prerequisites: Biology 352 and 366 or graduate standing.
Molecular evolution including concepts of homology and convergence,
the nearly neutral theory of evolution, evolution of new protein
function, detecting selection, multi-gene family evolution and evolutionary
genomics.

BIOL 511. Evolution of Development (3)
Prerequisites: Biology 352 and 366.
Dynamic relationship between regulatory functions that control
development and the evolutionary process, and vice versa, illustrated
with evidence derived from developmental, phylogenetic,
paleontological, computational, and ecological research. Emphasis
on genomic regulatory networks of transcriptional regulatory elements
and cell-signaling pathways.

BIOL 512. Evolution and Ecology of Marine Mammals (3)
Two lectures and three hours of laboratory.
Prerequisites: Biology 352 and 354.
Biology of marine mammals including pinniped, cetacean and
sirenian evolution, diet and foraging strategies, social organization,
reproductive strategies, echolocation, diving physiology, and conservation.

BIOL 523. Herpetology (4)
Two lectures and six hours of laboratory.
Prerequisite: Biology 201B. Recommended: Biology 352.
Evolution, systematics, distribution, and ecology of amphibians
and reptiles of the world.

BIOL 524. Ornithology (4)
Two lectures, six hours of laboratory or field excursions, and a
field project.
Prerequisite: Biology 201B. Strongly recommended: Completion
of three to six upper division units in the major.
Study and identification of birds, especially those of the Pacific
Coast and the San Diego region.

BIOL 525. Mammalogy (4)
Two lectures and six hours of laboratory.
Prerequisite: Biology 201B. Strongly recommended: Completion
of three to six upper division units in the major.
Evolution, systematics, distribution and ecology of mammals of
the world.

BIOL 526. Terrestrial Arthropod Biology (4)
Two lectures and six hours of laboratory.
Prerequisite: Biology 201B. Strongly recommended: Biology 352
and completion of three to six upper division units in the major.
Structure, function, behavior, ecology, evolution, and relationships
of major groups of terrestrial arthropods, including insects,
arachnids, and myriapods. Identification and natural history of
southern California diversity.

BIOL 530. Plant Systematics (4)
Two lectures and six hours of laboratory, field trips.
Prerequisite: Biology 201B. Strongly recommended: Completion
of three to six upper division units in the major.
Plant description, identification, classification, and nomenclature
with emphasis on evolutionary patterns, interdisciplinary data acquisition,
and phylogenetic analysis.

BIOL 531. Taxonomy of California Plants (4)
Two lectures and six hours of laboratory.
Prerequisites: Biology 201A and 201B.
Fundamentals of plant taxonomy with emphasis on identification
of plants native and naturalized to California. Plant collecting techniques.
Field trips are required.

BIOL. 596 Systematics & Biodiversity (3)
Prerequisites: Biology 201A, 201B, and 352.
This course covers the history, philosophy, and practical aspects of
systematic biology, emphasizing the pervasive role of phylogenetic data
in evolutionary biology and other fields, the phylogenetic structure of all
lifeforms, and geographic patterns of diversity, endemicity and imperilment.

BIOL 596. Special Topics in Biology (1-4)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Advanced selected topics in modern biology. May be repeated
with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Limit of
nine units of any combination of 296, 496, 596 courses applicable to
a bachelor’s degree. Maximum combined credit of six units of 596
and 696 applicable to a 30-unit master’s degree. Additional units
acceptable with the approval of the graduate adviser.