Evolutionary Ecology of Phenotypic Plasticity

 


Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies

Course number 001-2-3001

 

Ariel Novoplansky,
Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology,

Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research,

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Fall 2012-3

 

 



Last updated Oct 25, 2012. REFRESH to see the latest version!

 

NEXT ON THE AGENDA-

 

·       You are invited to choose a topic for your personal project by next Tue.

·       Please consider volunteering to deliver one of the earlier discussions, the first of which will take place on Nov 13, 2012.

·       Please advertise the course amongst your friends, the more the merrier!

·       Next Tue, Oct 30, we’ll convene at 08:30 at the Mitrani meeting room.

·       Elisheva suggested that the frontal lessons will be held weekly starting 08:30 or 09:00 and the discussion sessions will take place after the ecology seminar, starting at ca.13:30.

·       Here is a link to my TEDx talk on plant learning, a topic we will eventually touch in the course. Please feel free to further distribute it…  

 

 



Course outline
 

Main topics

Selected readings on lecture topics

Duties and grade components

E-mail

Discussions

News

Readings for next session

The Sede-Boker plasticity workshop

Lecture presentations

 

BGU ref library

Main topics

1.     What is phenotypic plasticity.

2.     Signal perception and information processing by plants.

3.     Plant morphogenetical controls and their ecological implications.

4.     Plant foraging: strategies and mechanisms.

5.     Phenotypic plasticity and the organization of populations and communities.

6.     Costs and limits of phenotypic plasticity

7.     Higher orders of phenotypic plasticity

8.     Epigenetics and its inheritance

9.     Phenotypic plasticity and evolution

10. On the differences between plants and animals.


Course duties and grade components

1. Active participation (rather than mere presence...) in classes and discussions (30%).
2. Coordination of a discussion on a selected topic (20%).
3. A review paper or a research proposal (50%).


 


Readings and discussion questions for the next session:

 

N/A

 

 

Lecture presentations

 

-        Intro to phenotypic plasticity

-        Information

-        Physiological coordination and correlative responses

-        Foraging

-        Costs and limits

-        Evolution

-        Metaplasticity

 

 

Mail

 

Gil, Natalie, Edith, Asael, Shirly, Anat, Vika, Naama, Shlomi, Ariel