Syllabus | Schedule and Readings
 
We will meet every Tuesday at 6:00pm in JST 718.
Date and Topic
Presenter(s)
Week 1 (Aug 30, 4pm, JST 704) – Organizational meeting, scheduling
n/a
Week 2 (Sep 4-Sept 8) – Physical nature of light in the environment. Likely reading: Endler 1993. The color of light in forests and its implications. Ecol. Mono. 63(1) 1-27.
Schaefer
Week 3 (Sep 11-15) Light and color production. Pigmentation, color cells, bioluminescence, structural color.
Mickle

Weeks 4-5 (Sep 18-29) – Perception of light and color. Anatomy, physiology and evolution of light receptors. Eyes and extraretinal structures. Vertebrate and invertebrate patterns.

Bishop

Schaefer
Weeks 6-7 (Oct 2-13) – Light as an environmental resource. Energetics, productivity, thermoregulation.

Baxley

Spaeth
Weeks 8-10 (Oct 16-Nov 3) – Color and light mediated biotic interactions. Communication, crypsis, mimicry, intraspecific and interspecific patterns.

Zuber

Zednick

Glowinski

Weeks 11-12 (Nov 6-Nov 17) – Role of color in evolution. Speciation, geographic variation, conservation, sexual selection.

Persons

Paxton
Weeks 13-14 (Nov 27-Dec 5) – Color and light as environmental cues. Biotic cycles, migration and navigation.

Nemeth

Cohen