606-313 Origin and Early Evolution of Cells

Note

This is a joint Botany/Microbiology subject.

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Biochemistry 521-211 + 521-212 (1996: 521-201) or Genetics 652-204 + 652-205 (1996: 652-201).

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

Topics include:

• Spontaneous origin of life and concept of chemical evolution;
• the RNA world;
• formation of protocells;
• origin of the genetic code;
• overview of bacterial diversity (Bacteria, Archaea);
• similarities between Archaea and eukaryotes; and
• origins of eukaryotic specialisations (mitochondria, chloroplasts, introns, linear chromosomes, mitosis, sex).

By the end of this subject students should:

• understand theories of how life arose and have an overview of the main cellular forms it has taken during the course of evolution;
• appreciate salient features of the several key metabolic processes especially respiration and photosynthesis;
• know the principle differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes at the structural and molecular levels and understand how these differences might have arisen; and
• appreciate the significance of the eukaryotic condition in relation to evolution.

Assessment

A 3-hour written examination at the end of semester.

Prescribed Texts

• Maynard-Smith, J. and Szathmáry, E., The Major Transitions in Evolution. 1995, W.H. Freeman.