William (Ned) Friedman
Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Colorado
Home page for Plant Biodiversity and Evolution, EBIO 4500
Week 1: No lab
Read: Raven et al. 1-6, 219-227; The Compleat Cladist Chapter 1. Link to this reading
January 12
Course overview, introduction and organization
Brief recap of the last four billion years of plant evolution
January 14 Link to outline
Concepts of phylogenetic relationships; understanding the evolution of biological characters
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Week 2 Lab: Introduction to the use of microscopes and Cyanobacteria
Read: Raven et al. 115-128, 228-235, 238-248
January 19 Link to outline
Origins of life and photosynthesis
Diversity of cyanobacteria
January 21 Link to outline
Fossil history of cyanobacteria
Endosymbiosis and the origin of photosynthetic eukaryotes
Defining features of green eukaryotic organisms ("plants")
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Week 3 Lab: Basal green eukaryotes, Ulvolphyceae, and introduction to Chlorophyceae
Read: Raven et al. 235-237, 141-162, 296-303, 327-337
January 26 Link to outline
Basic life cycles of plants
Introduction to green algal phylogeny and diversity
January 28 Link to outline
Green algal diversity: Ulvophyceae
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Week 4 Lab: Chlorophycean and charophycean green algal diversity
Read: Raven et al. 337-340
February 2 Link to outline
Green algal diversity: Chlorophyceae
Green algal diversity: Streptophyta and the charophycean algae
February 4 Link to outline
Charophycean algae
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Week 5 Lab: Basic anatomy and morphology of land plants
Read: Raven et al. 368-377, 510-527
February 9 Link to outline
The origin of land plants (embryophytes)
Character evolution associated with a terrestrial environment
Fossil evidence of the earliest colonization of land
February 11 Link to outline
Were fungi the key to terrestrial life?
Introduction to nonvascular lineages of land plants: Liverworts
HUGE BIRTHDAY PARTY!
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Week 6 Lab: Nonvascular lineages of land plants
Read: Raven et al. 345-367
February 16 Link to outline
Nonvascular lineages of land plants: Mosses and hornworts
February 18
First class exam
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Week 7 Lab: First laboratory practical
Read: Raven et al. 368-380
February 23 Link to outline
Polysporangiophytes: the diploid generation learns to branch
Early vascular plants: Fossil evidence for the first radiation of land plants
Devonian gametophytes and the evolution of alternation of generations
February 25 Link to outline
Rhyniopsida
Zosterophylls and basal lineages of Lycophyta
Fossil evidence for the origin of "microphyllous" leaves
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Week 8 Lab: Early vascular plant fossils and lycophytes
Read: Raven et al. 380-389
March 2
Lycophyta: evolution of heterospory and theoretical issues
Lycophyta: evolution (and extinction) of arborescent forms
Carboniferous forests
March 4 Link to outline
Euphyllophytes: early diversification
Fossil and phylogenetic evidence for evolution of "megaphyllous" leaves
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Week 9 Lab: Early euphyllophytes, Psilophyta, Ophioglossales, and Marattiales
Read: Raven et al. 389-407
March 9 Link to outline
Moniliformopses
Psilophyta: relicts of the first vascular plants or highly reduced "ferns"?
Other eusporangiate “ferns” (Ophioglossales, Marattiales)
Sphenophyta
March 11 Link to outline
Arborescent horsetails (Sphenophyta)
Leptosporangiate "ferns" (Filicales): introduction to basic life cycles
Evolution of complex morphologies among ferns
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Week 10 Lab: Filicalean "fern" diversity and Sphenophyta
Read: Raven et al. 408-412
March 16 Link to outline
Leptosporangiate ferns concluded
March 18 Link to outline
Progymnosperms, Earth's first trees
Origin and evolution of defining features of the seed plants
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Week 11 Lab: Progymnosperms and extinct ancient lineages of seed plants; Carboniferous coal balls
Read: Raven et al. 412-413, 427-428; Phillips, T.L., M.J. Avci and D. Berggren. 1976. Fossil peat of the Illinois Basin, a guide to the study of coal balls of Pennsylvanian age. Illinois State Geological Survey Educational Series 11. (IN YOUR LAB MANUAL)
March 30
Elkinsia, the oldest known seed plant
Hydrasperman reproduction: sexual reproduction in a tree
Early fossil seed plant lineages
April 1
Evolution of reproductive patterns (gametophytes, ovules and pollination)
Cycads
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Week 12 Lab: Cycadales and Ginkgoales
Read: Raven et al. 428-431
April 6
Second class exam
April 8
Ginkgoales
Embryo development in Ginkgo and cycads (with interpretive dance)
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Week 13 Lab: Coniferales and Gnetales
Read: Raven et al. 413-427, 431-433
April 13
Coniferales
April 15
Cordaitales and the origin of Coniferales
Gnetales: closest extant relatives of angiosperms or just another conifer?
Gymnosperms: paraphyletic or monophyletic (the shocking "truth")
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Week 14 Lab: Second laboratory practical
Read: Raven et al. 434-438, 442-451, 453-458
April 20
Defining features of flowering plants and Darwin's "abominable mystery"
April 22
The evolutionary origin of double fertilization and endosperm
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Week 15 Lab: Basal angiosperms and defining features of flowering plants
Read: Raven et al. 458-470
April 27
Early fossil history of flowering plants
Basal lineages of flowering plants and their diversity
Old ideas and newest breakthroughs in flowering plant phylogeny
April 29
Recap of the last four billion years of photosynthetic life history
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May 5
Final Exam, 1:30 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.
All of the plant images on this web page were created by students enrolled in Plant Biodiversity and Evolution (EBIO 4500)
