Foundations of the theory of speciation

Prof. Sergey Gavrilets, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

The course is oriented towards graduate students and researchers in life sciences, complexity theory, mathematical biology, and applied mathematics.
Solid understanding of principles of population genetics or modeling principles is required.
Course outline:

1. Fitness landscapes
    Working example: one-locus, two-allele model of viability selection
    Fitness landscape as fitness of gene combinations
    Fitness landscape as the mean fitness of populations
    The metaphor of fitness landscapes
        Wright's rugged fitness landscapes
        Fisher's single-peak fitness landscapes
        Kimura's flat fitness landscapes
    Fitness landscapes for mating pairs
    Fitness landscapes for quantitative traits
        Fitness landscape as fitness of trait combinations
        Fitness landscape as the mean fitness of populations
        Fitness landscapes for mating pairs
    Nearly neutral networks and holey fitness landscapes
        Simple models
            Russian roulette model in two dimensions
            Russian roulette model on hypercubes
            Generalized Russian roulette model
    Neutral networks in RNA landscapes
        Neutral networks in protein landscapes
        Other evidence for nearly neutral networks

2. Steps toward speciation on rugged fitness landscapes
    Stochastic transitions between isolated fitness peaks
        Fixation of an underdominant mutation
        Peak shift in a quantitative character
        Fixation of compensatory mutations in a two-locus haploid population
    Some consequences of spatial subdivision and density fluctuations
        Spatial subdivision
        Stochastic transitions in a growing population
    Peak shifts by selection

3. Speciation in the Bateson-Dobzhansky-Muller (BDM) model
    The 2-locus 2-allele BDM model of reproductive isolation
        Fitness landscapes in the 2-locus 2-allele BDM model
        The mechanisms of reproductive isolation in the BDM model
    Population genetics in the 2-locus 2-allele BDM model
        Haploid population
        Diploid population
    Dynamics of speciation in the 2-locus 2-allele BDM model
        Allopatric speciation
        Parapatric speciation
    Multilocus BDM models
        The Walsh model
        Divergent degeneration of duplicated genes
        Three- and four-locus models
        Accumulation of genetic incompatibilities
        Allopatric speciation
        Parapatric speciation

4. Models of sympatric speciation
    Maintenance of genetic variation under disruptive natural selection
        Spatially heterogeneous selection
        Spatially uniform disruptive selection
        Frequency-dependent selection in a single population
    Evolution of nonrandom mating
         Similarity-based nonrandom mating
        Matching-based nonrandom mating
    Interaction of disruptive selection and nonrandom mating
        The Maynard Smith model
    The Udovic model
    The Felsenstein model
    The Diehl-Bush model

5. Models of ecological speciation and adaptive radiation
    Case studies
        Speciation of cichlids in a crater lake
        Speciation of palms on an oceanic island
        Hybrid speciation in Heliconius
        Ecological morphs formation in Littorina
        Diversification of Anolis in Carribbean
    General patterns of adaptive radiation

Textbook: "Fitness landscapes and the origin of species" by S. Gavrilets (Princeton University Press, 2004) plus additional materials

Type: course
Number of participants: 40
Location: Lausanne, Biophore building, seminar room 2213
Schedule for both days: Morning: 9.45-13.00, with 15 min break. Lunch: 13.00-14.30. Afternoon: 14.30-17.00 with 20 min break.
ECTS: 0.5

Registration has now closed!!

Priority is given to PhD students of the ecology and evolution doctoral program. Depending on places availability, other PhD students, master students, Postdocs and academics can attend for free but traveling/accommodation expenses cannot be reimbursed.

Elisa Piaia
Coordinator of the Inter-University
Doctoral Program in Ecology and Evolution
Biophore building
University of Lausanne
Tel: +41 (0)21 692 4244
Fax: +41 (0)21 692 4165
E-mail: elisa.piaia(at)unil.ch