Instructor: Dr. Arne Mooers (amooers@sfu.ca)
Office: B8242
Phone: 778-782-3979
Office Hours: Wed 1400-1530

Week

Dates

Subject

Readings

Workshop

Notes

Week 1

What is biodiversity?

The folder with the papers to choose from can be found here.


The first lecture is posted as: 1_introduction_1141.pdf
The second lecture is posted as: 2_species_1141.pdf .
Required reading: Gaston_Spicer_ch1.pdf (here)
Optional review of historical diversity indices is here.



Workshop 1 reading:

1. Menno Schuilthuizen's 2001 book, Frogs, flies and Dandelions, Chapter 1 .
(I included the prologue as well in the online version, because it is fun to read, but not necessary.)

2. The relevant passage from the Origin can be found at chapter 2, starting on page 47 , starting with
"Those forms which possess in some considerable degree the character of species, but..", and ends with
"The term variety, again, in comparison with mere individual differences, is also applied arbitrarily, and for mere convenience sake." (end of page 52)
Even within this section, you don't have to read the whole thing. You can go from the beginning to the sentence in the middle of a paragraph ending "geographical races!", and then pick it up again at "When a young naturalist..."


These two papers are addressing fundamental concepts and reinforce the ideas from our of discussion species. Ask yourself these questions as you read (these are the sorts of questions I might ask on the quiz):

1. What process were people using to delineate species in Darwin's time?
2. What observations lead Darwin to doubt some species delineations?
3. How 'scientific' is Darwin being?
4. Why does Dr. Schilthuizen suggest we reconsider Darwin's suggestion?
5. In class, we will distinguish between pattern and process. Which method for delineating species does Dr. Szymura seem to use for his Bombina toads?.
6. What audiences were (are) Darwin and Schilthuizen writing for? How different are those audiences?