Teaching

Evolutionary Genetics

How can population genetical theory be applied to the study of natural populations? What is important in building evolutionary models? What can we infer from DNA sequence diversity found in populations? Can we detect evidence for population structure in genes? What can we infer about selection and inbreeding in natural populations? This course will cover various approaches to answer these questions using classic and state-of-the-art methods.

Evolution of Sex and Breeding Systems

Why do most higher organisms reproduce sexually? Why be diploid rather than haploid? Why should there be separate sexes? What factors affect mate choice? How does ecology influence the breeding system? Such questions are the focus of much current research in evolutionary biology. In this course, we will examine explanations for the diversity of breeding systems that we see around us.