BIOL 471--Spring 2012

Paper and poster topics available for sign-up (topics taken in red)
(email requests for a topic beginning first day of class)

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Arbuckle, J. H. et al. 2010. The latent human herpesvirus-6A genome specifically integrates in telomeres of human chromosomes in vivo and in vitro. PNAS 107: 5563-5568. [viral components of the human genome]

Baldauf, S. A. et al. 2010. Male mate choice scales female ornament allometry in a cichlid fish. BMC Evolutionary Biology 10:301. [Male mate choice]

Battistuzzi, F. & S. B. Hedges. 2009. A major clade of prokaryotes with ancient adaptations to life on land. Molecular Biology and Evolution 26: 335-343. [Poster topic: molecular clock dating of prokaryote divergences]

Bi, K. and J. P. Bogart. 2010. Time and again: unisexual salamanders (genus Ambystoma) are the oldest unisexual vertebrates. BMC Evol Biol 10: 238. [unisexual vertebrates]

Blanc, G. et al. 2007. Reductive genome evolution from the mother of Rickettsia. PLoS Genetics 3(1): e14. doi:10.1371 [reductive evolution of genomes]

Blum, M. G. B. and M. Jakobsson. 2011. Deep divergences of human gene trees and models of human origins. Molecular Biology and Evolution 28:889-898. [Out of Africa hypothesis]

Bohling, J. H. & L. P. Waits. 2011. Assessing the prevalence of hybridization between sympatric Canis species surrounding the red wolf (Canis rufus) recovery area in North Carolina. Molecular Ecology 20:2142-2156. [Hybridization and conservation]

Caramelli, D. 2003. Evidence for a genetic discontinuity between Neandertals and 24,000-year-old anatomically modern Europeans. PNAS 100:6593-6597. [Neandertal DNA]

Clements, A. et al. 2009. The reducible complexity of a mitochondrial molecular machine. PNAS 106: 15791-15795. [Poster topic: evidence for irreducible complexity?]

Cui, J. et al. 2011. Progressive pseudogenization: Vitamin C synthesis and its loss in bats. Molecular Biology and Evolution 28: 1025-1031. [pseudogenes and Vitamin C synthesis]

David, L. A. and E. J. Alm. 2011. Rapid evolutionary innovation during an Archaean genetic expansion. Nature 469:93-96. [Archean biodiverstiy]

Forstmeier, W. et al. 2011. Female extrapair mating behavior can evolve via indirect selection on males. PNAS 108:10608-10613. [extrapair mating in monogamous species]

Foxe, J. P. et al. 2009. Recent speciation associated with the evolution of selfing in Capsella. PNAS 106: 5241-5245. [Speciation mechanisms in plants]

Gilbert, C. et al. 2010. A role for host-parasite interactions in the horizontal transfer of transposons across taxa. Nature 464:1347-1350. [horizontal gene transfer]

Gray, R. D. et al. 2009. Language phylogenies reveal expansion pulses and pauses in Pacific settlement. Science 323:479-483. [Language phylogenies of humans]

Halverson, M. S. and D. A. Bolnick. 2008. An ancient DNA test of a founder effect in Native American ABO blood group frequencies. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 137: 342-347. [Poster topic: population genetics of Native American populations]

Hao, W. & J. Palmer. 2009. Fine-scale mergers of chloroplast and mitochondrial genes create functional, transcompartmentally chimeric mitochondrial genes. PNAS 106: 16728-16733. [Poster topic: gene transfer between cell organelles]

Hasan, A. U. et al. 2008. Genetic diversity in two sibling species of the Anopheles punctulatus group of mosquitoes on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. BMC Evol. Biol. 8: 318. [Poster topic: sibling species]

Hofmann, H. J. et al. 2008. Ediacaran biota on Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada. Journal of Paleontology 82: 1-36. [Poster topic: Ediacaran fauna]

Horie, M. et al. 2010. Endogenous non-retroviral RNA virus elements in mammalian genomes. Nature 463: 84-87 (plus supplement). [Poster topic: virus elements in mammalian genomes]

Hu, D. et al. 2009. A pre-Archaeopteryx troodontid theropod from China with long feathers on the metatarsus. Nature 2009 doi:10.1038/nature08322. [Feathered dinosaurs]

Hublin, J. J. 2009. The origin of Neandertals. PNAS 106:16022-16027. {Neandertals}

Lindqvist, C. et al. 2010. Complete mitochondrial genome of a Pleistocene jawbone unveils the origin of polar bear. PNAS 107: 5053-5057. [Polar bear evolution]

Long, J. A. et al. 2009. Devonian arthrodire embryos and the origin of internal fertilization in vertebrates. Nature 457: 1124-1127. [Poster topic: origin of internal fertilization in vertebrates]

Maan, M. E. & M. E. Cummings. 2009. Sexual dimorphism and directional sexual selection on aposematic signals in a poison frog. PNAS 106:1907219077. [evolution of aposematic characters]

McCutcheon, J. P. et al. 2009. Convergent evolution of metabolic roles in bacterial co-symbionts of insects. PNAS 106: 15394-15399. [Poster topic: genome reduction in endosymbionts]

Mehdiabadi, N. J. 2008. Phylogeny, reproductive isolation and kin recognition in the social amoeba Dictyostelium purpureum. Evolution 63: 542-548. [Poster topic: cryptic species or social evolution in amoebas]

Millien, V. 2011. Mammals evolve faster on smaller islands. Evolution 65:1935-1944. [evolution on islands]

Moczek, A. and D. J. Rose. 2009. Differential recruitment of limb patterning genes during development and diversification of beetle horns. PNAS 106: 8992-8997. [Horned beetles]

Nishihara, H. et al. 2009. Retroposon analysis and recent geological data suggest near-simultaneous divergence of the three superorders of mammals. PNAS 106: 5235-5240. [Poster topic: mammal origins and phylogeny]

Palmenberg, A. C. et al. 2009. Sequencing and analyses of all known human rhinovirus genomes reveal structure and evolution. Science 324: 55-59. [human virus evolution]

Poulakakis, N. et al. 2008. Historical DNA analysis reveals living descendants of an extinct species of Galápagos tortoise. PNAS 105:15464-15469. [Giant tortoises]

Prud’homme, B. et al. 2011. Body plan innovation in treehoppers through the evolution of an extra wing-like appendage. Nature 473:83-86. [major body plan evolution in insects]

Prugnolle, F. et al. 2010. African great apes are natural hosts of multiple related malaria species, including Plasmodium falciparum. PNAS 107: 1458-1463. [Evolution of Plasmodium species]

Regier, J. C. et al. 2010. Arthropod relationships revealed by phylogenomic analysis of nuclear protein-coding sequences. Nature 463: 1079-1083. [arthropod phylogeny]

Ren, X.-X. et al. 2011. Flowers of Cypripedium fargesii (Orchidaceae) fool flat-footed flies (Platypezidae) by faking fungus-infected foliage. PNAS 108:7478-7480. [pollination by deceit and mimicry in plants]

Ribera, I. et al. 2010. Ancient origin of a Western Mediterranean radiation of subterranean beetles. BMC Evolutionary Biology 2010, 10.29. [subterranean beetle phylogeny]

Roy, P. V. et al. 2010. Ordovician faunas of Burgess Shale type. Nature 465: 215-218. [Cambrian animals]

Ramírez Rozzi, F. V. et al. 2009. Cutmarked human remains bearing Neandertal features and modern human remains associated with the Aurignacian at Les Rois. Journal of Anthropological Sciences 87:153-185. [Interactions between Neandertals and modern humas]

Rumphoa, M. E. et al. 2008. Horizontal gene transfer of the algal nuclear gene psbO to the photosynthetic sea slug Elysia chlorotica. PNAS USA 105: 17867–17871. [Poster topic: symbiosis and horizontal gene transfer]

Sacks, B. M. et al. 2011. A restricted hybrid zone between native and introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) populations suggests reproductive barriers and competitive exclusion. Molecular Ecology 20:326-341. [Hybridization and conservation]

Schultz, T. R. & S. G. Brady. 2008. Major evolutionary transitions in ant agriculture. PNAS 105:5435-5440. [Origins of ant agriculture]

Seidel, H. S. et al. 2011. A novel sperm-delivered toxin causes late-stage embryo lethality and transmission ratio distortion in C. elegans. PLoS Biology 9(7): e1001115. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001115 [evidence for selfish genes]

Shizuka, D. & B. E. Lyon. 2010. Coots use hatch order to learn to recognize and reject conspecific brood parasitic chicks. Nature 463:223-226. [Brood parasitism]

Thorogood, C. J. et al. 2008. Host-driven divergence in the parasitic plant Orobanche minor Sm. (Orobanchaceae). Mol. Ecol. 17: 4289-4303. [Poster topic: host-switching speciation in parasitic angiosperms]

Torres, C. et al. 2011. New perspectives on the evolutionary history of hepatitis B virus genotype F. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 59:114-122. [Evolution of human viruses]

Voje, K. L. et al. 2009. Climatic change as an engine for speciation in flightless Orthoptera species inhabiting African mountains. Molecular Ecology 18: 93-108. [Poster topic: climate change and speciation]

Werneburg, I. & M. R. Sánchez-Villagra. 2009. Timing of organogenesis support basal position of turtles in the amniote tree of life. BMC Evolutionary Biology 9:82. [Poster topic: turtle phylogeny]

Wickett, N. J. et al. 2008. Functional gene losses occur with minimal size reduction in the plastid genome of the parasitic liverwort Aneura mirabilis. Molecular Biology and Evolution 25: 393-401. [Poster topic: chloroplast gene loss in parasitic plants]

Wodniok, S. et al. 2011. Origin of land plants: Do conjugating green algae hold the key? BMC Evolutionary Biology 11:104 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/11/104 [origin of land plants]

Wolinska, J. & P. Spaak. 2009. The cost of being common: evidence from natural Daphnia populations. Evolution 63: 1893-1901. [Poster topic: Parasitism and the Red Queen]

Zhao, H. et al. 2009. The evolution of color vision in nocturnal mammals. PNAS 106:8980-8985. [color vision in mammals]

Zhao, J. et al. 2010. Transitional fossil earwigs - a missing link in Dermaptera evolution. BMC Evol Biol 10:344. [transitional insect fossils]