Discussion Questions Week 2

I) Estimating Evolutionary Trees

 1. What is an homology? What is a synapomorphy? How do the two differ?

 2. Why are synapomorphies useful?

 3. What is a Homoplasy? How do we deal with them in a phylogenetic analysis?

 4. What is parsimony, and how is it employed in the construction of phylogenetic trees?

 5. How do we statistically verify that we have the best tree?

 6. What sorts of questions can be studied using phylogenetic analyses?

II) Heritability and Selection

 1. What is a quantitative trait?

 2. What is the heritability of a trait?

 3. How is heritability measured?

 4. What is a selection differential?

 5. What is a selection gradient?

III) Species interactions and the evolution of biodiversity

 1. How have plants contributed to biodiversity?

 2. How have plants contributed to species interactions, and what are they?

 3. How are green plants thought to have contributed to speciation?

IV) Concepts of Coevolution

 1. What is coevolution?

 2. What is gene-for-gene coevolution?

 3. What is specific coevolution?

 4. What is guild coevolution?

 5. What is diversifying coevolution? What is co-speciation?

 6. What is escape-and-radiate coevolution?