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CS92PROD
The Origins of Bacterial Diversity
BIOL 337
Spring 2021 not offered
Crosslisting: BIOL 537, ENVS 337

Wherever there is life, there are bacteria. Free-living bacteria are found in every environment that supports eukaryotes, and no animal or plant is known to be free of bacteria. There are most likely a billion or more species of bacteria, each living in its unique ecological niche. This course will explore the origins of bacterial biodiversity: how bacteria evolve to form new species that inhabit new ecological niches. We will focus on how the peculiarities of bacterial sex and genetics facilitate bacterial speciation. Topics will include the characteristics of bacterial sex, why barriers to genetic exchange are not necessary for speciation in bacteria, the great potential for formation of new bacterial species, the evolutionary role of genetic gifts from other species, and the use of genomics to identify ecologically distinct populations of bacteria.
Credit: .5 Gen Ed Area Dept: NSM BIOL
Course Format: Lecture / DiscussionGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: [BIOL182 or MB&B182]
Fulfills a Requirement for: (BIOL)(ENVS-MN)(ENVS)

Last Updated on DEC-14-2024
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