Undergraduate - UnitBIO2022 - Evolution and systematics

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2012 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 0 (NATIONAL PRIORITY), 0.125 EFTSL

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Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Science
Offered	Clayton Second semester 2012 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	To be advised

Synopsis

The historical development of evolutionary ideas and the processes of natural selection as currently understood. Theories and techniques of reconstructing evolutionary history and the use of these approaches as tools for addressing practical problems. The history of life on earth and the role of evolutionary events such as mass extinctions and adaptive radiations in that history. Developmental and genetic processes in evolutionary change. Adaptation in the natural world.

Outcomes

On completion of this unit, students will learn the historical development of the theory of evolution and the evidence for the occurrence of evolution; understand the fundamental processes of evolution; be familiar with the major evolutionary events in the history of life, including chemical origins, emergence of eukaryotes, metazoans, and vertebrates, and mass extinctions; and understand the principles of classifying organic diversity and the techniques for inferring the evolutionary relationships of organisms.