Readings are available at http://blackboard.cornell.edu/.  Please be prepared to lead an article-based discussion at least twice during the semester.  Preferred grading is S/U.
Week Date Topic Suggested reading
1 Aug 30 Organization.
2 Sept 6 Definitions. [1] [2] [3]
3 Sept 13 Evolution of mutualism from neutrality requires reciprocity of investments and spatial structure. [4] [5]
4 Sept 20 Allocation of benefits in mutualism and rates of partner evolution: lichens. [6] [7]
5 Sept 27 Accelerated molecular evolution as a consequence of transition to mutualism: lichens and Buchnera/aphid association. [8] [9]
6 Oct 4 Evolution of mutualism from parasitism under vertical symbiont transmission: grass endophytes. [10] [11] [12]
7 Oct 11 Conflicts over symbiont reproductive interests: fungus-growing ants. [13] [14]
8 Oct 18 Anti-cheating devices in mutualisms: partner filtering in ant/plant defense mutualism. [15] [16]
9 Oct 25 More on partner choice and sanctions: legume/rhizobium mutualism. [17] [18]
10 Nov 1 Mutualism-parasitism continuum: mycorrhizae. [19] [20]
11 Nov 8 Mutualisms and biological invasions: mycorrhizae. [21] [22]
12 Nov 15 Mutualisms and global change: adaptive coral bleaching and response of mycorrhizae to atmospheric CO2 rise. [23] [24] [25]
13 Nov 29 Summary and conclusions.

[1] Wilkinson, D.M. (2001) At cross purposes - How do we cope with scientific terms that have two different definitions? Nature 412, 485-485.
[2] Herre, E.A., Knowlton, N., Mueller, U.G. and Rehner, S.A. (1999) The evolution of mutualisms: exploring the paths between conflict and cooperation. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 14, 49-53.
[3] Axelrod, R. and Hamilton, W.D. (1981) The evolution of cooperation. Science 211, 1390-1396.
[4] Doebeli, M. and Knowlton, N. (1998) The evolution of interspecific mutualisms. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 95, 8676-8680.
[5] Yu, D.W., Wilson, H.B., Frederickson, M.E., Palomino, W., De la Colina, R., Edwards, D.P. and Balareso, A.A. (2004) Experimental demonstration of species coexistence enabled by dispersal limitation. Journal of Animal Ecology 73, 1102-1114.
[6] Bergstrom, C.T. and Lachmann, M. (2003) The Red King effect: When the slowest runner wins the coevolutionary race. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 100, 593-598.
[7] Zoller, S. and Lutzoni, F. (2003) Slow algae, fast fungi: exceptionally high nucleotide substitution rate differences between lichenized fungi Omphalina and their symbiotic green algae Coccomyxa. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 29, 629-640.
[8] Lutzoni, F. and Pagel, M. (1997) Accelerated evolution as a consequence of transitions to mutualism. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 94, 11422-11427.
[9] Canback, B., Tamas, I. and Andersson, S.G.E. (2004) A phylogenomic study of endosymbiotic bacteria. Molecular Biology And Evolution 21, 1110-1122.
[10] Yamamura, N. (1993) Vertical transmission and evolution of mutualism from parasitism. Theoretical Population Biology 44, 95-109.
[11] Moon, C.D., Craven, K.D., Leuchtmann, A., Clement, S.L. and Schardl, C.L. (2004) Prevalence of interspecific hybrids amongst asexual fungal endophytes of grasses. Molecular Ecology 13, 1455-1467.
[12] Muller, C.B. and Krauss, J. (2005) Symbiosis between grasses and asexual fungal endophytes. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 8, 450-456.
[13] Frank, S.A. (1997) Models of symbiosis. American Naturalist 150, S80-S99.
[14] Poulsen, M. and Boomsma, J.J. (2005) Mutualistic fungi control crop diversity in fungus-growing ants. Science 307, 741-744.
[15] Yu, D.W. (2001) Parasites of mutualisms. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 72, 529-546.
[16] Heil, M., Rattke, J. and Boland, W. (2005) Postsecretory hydrolysis of nectar sucrose and specialization in ant/plant mutualism. Science 308, 560-563.
[17] Kiers, E.T., Rousseau, R.A., West, S.A. and Denison, R.F. (2003) Host sanctions and the legume-rhizobium mutualism. Nature 425, 78-81.
[18] Simms, E.L., Taylor, D.L., Povich, J., Shefferson, R.P., Sachs, J.L., Urbina, M. and Tausczik, Y. (2006) An empirical test of partner choice mechanisms in a wild legume-rhizobium interaction. Proceedings of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 273, 77-81.
[19] Neuhauser, C. and Fargione, J.E. (2004) A mutualisim-parasitism continuum model and its application to plant-mycorrhizae interactions. Ecological Modelling 177, 337-352.
[20] Kiers, E.T. and van der Heijden, M.G.A. (2006) Mutualistic stability in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis: Exploring hypotheses of evolutionary cooperation. Ecology 87, 1627-1636.
[21] Callaway, R.M., Thelen, G.C., Rodriguez, A. and Holben, W.E. (2004) Soil biota and exotic plant invasion. Nature 427, 731-733.
[22] Stinson, K.A., Campbell, S.A., Powell, J.R., Wolfe, B.E., Callaway, R.M., Thelen, G.C., Hallett, S.G., Prati, D. and Klironomos, J.N. (2006) Invasive plant suppresses the growth of native tree seedlings by disrupting belowground mutualisms. PLoS Biology 4, 727-731.
[23] Klironomos, J.N., Allen, M.F., Rillig, M.C., Piotrowski, J., Makvandi-Nejad, S., Wolfe, B.E. and Powell, J.R. (2005) Abrupt rise in atmospheric CO2 overestimates community response in a model plant-soil system. Nature 433, 621-624.
[24] Lewis, C.L. and Coffroth, M.A. (2004) The acquisition of exogenous algal symbionts by an octocoral after bleaching. Science 304, 1490-1492.
[25] Sotka, E.E. and Thacker, R.W. (2005) Do some corals like it hot? Trends In Ecology & Evolution 20, 59-62.