DIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION IN TROPICAL FORESTS

A resource for students in Biology 3 - Plant Systematics and Biogeography

 
Overview
Corner and the durian theory
Ashton, Fedorov and evolutionary processes
Gentry's hypotheses
Applications
   pollination
   breeding systems
   allozyme analysis
   architecture 
References and further reading 
Questions 
 
Rationale
This package has been designed to provide an interactive overview of some of the topics covered in this unit.

It has been set up so that you can use it at a number of different levels to

  • revise the material covered in lectures and practise answering relevant questions
  • look at subtopics in more detail using the relevant literature (this will require you to read some of the papers on the reference list)
  • cross reference between the various subtopics and appreciate the relationship between them
  • link to web sites publishing details and data on research projects in relevant areas
  • appreciate the interpretation of data from allozyme electrophoresis analyses and use Hardy Weinberg principles to determine levels of genetic variability in plants
 After using the package you should be able to discuss 
  • Why there is such a high diversity of plant taxa in tropical forests, and how this diversity developed
  • Which speciation processes may have operated to maintain this diversity
  • Are there variations in the speciation processes operating at a local or pantropical level?
  • How can models and hypotheses be tested in the field?
  • How has the collection and interpretation of data from tropical forests changed in recent years?
  • How has this advanced our understanding of evolutionary processes in rainforests?

Self help and feedback

Preliminary questions for each section have answers provided, and I am trusting you to try answering yourself before you look at my answers. 
Extension questions require you to integrate information from a number of the sources, and use data from projects, to argue key points. Your answers to these should be emailed to me for individual feedback. 
A forum for discussion can eventually be set up if we want to discuss points raised by many of you or to answer FAQ's.  At present I suggest we discuss such areas in lecture times. 
 
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