[Topics]
[Class Sheet]
[Spring 2000 Info]

The seminar will concentrate on the evolutionary theory of conflict and cooperation and the deductions derived from this theory with special reference to problems concerning social behavior, origin of the major levels of selection (gene, bacteria-like cells, eukaryotic-like cells, multicellular organisms, societies) and the evolution of sex. Population genetics and game theory approaches will be covered. Some possible topics are listed below. Student input into topics covered is welcome.

The First Individuals 

Self Replication and the Origin of Fitness

Origin of Basic Natural Selection Paradigms

Origin of Gene Networks

Origin of Hypercycles and Quasispecies

Origin of the Cell

Conflict Mediation Through Individuality

Theory of the Evolution of Interactions

Gene Frequency Change and Population growth

Frequency Dependent Selection

Population Structure and Kin Selection

Evolution in Hierarchically Structured Populations

Cooperation and Conflict

Selection As Fitness Covariance

Game Theory and Prisoner's Dilemma

Spatial Structure and the Evolution of Cooperation

Population Dynamics and Natural Selection

Theory of Endosymbiosis and Mutualism

Origin of the Multicellular Organism

Within Organism Change

Evolution of Cooperation among Cells

Origin of Development Programs

Effect of Sex On the Emerging Organism

Evolution of the Germ Line

Evolution of the Mutation Rate

Evolution of Self-Policing and Apoptosis

Evolution of Adult (Group) Size

Heritability of Fitness and the Evolution of Individuality

Endosymbiotic Origin of the Eukaryotic Cell

About 2 billion years ago, archaebacteria-like cells (destined to be the ancestors of all eukaryotes) began alliances with other bacteria (the mitochondrion-to-be or mtb for short). Most workers agree that the mtb was a purple eubacteria-like cell , but it could have been a bacterium of the mycoplasma group or an archaebacterium like Sulfolobus. There is less agreement on whether the initial association between the host and the mtb was relatively benign, like predators engulfing prey, like parasites and pathogens infecting hosts, or like farming. What is clear is that this association, along with other associations involving cyanobacteria (leading to plastids), spirochetes (leading to centrioles) and possibly eocytes (leading to the nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum), eventually led from independent bacteria-like cells through conflictual and then cooperative associations to a new level of selection—the eukaryotic cell. Our focus will concern the host cell and the mtb, however, I believe the approach we will follow is applicable to the other associations.