Population and Ecological Genetics Course Code

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TITLE OF THE COURSE: Population and Ecological Genetics Course code: BIO3028 Course group: C Faculty: Natural Science Study program: Biology and Genetics Level: Bachelor Semester: Spring ECTS credits: 5 Language of instruction English Course lecturer/s: J.Radzijevskaja, L.Griciuvienė The course explores the main ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that influence the genetic structure of populations. It covers the theory of natural selection, the basis of heredity and variation, population structure and genetics, and mechanisms of speciation, population size changes, migration and hybridization and other ecological processes. The first half of the course will deal with the impact of mutations, gene drift, gene flow and selection, on the genetic Short course description: structure of populations. Also, the main conception of range of molecular techniques, and the associated statistical tools available for identifying genetic variation within and among populations will be presented. The second half of course deals with populational genetics within ecological context. Lectures and practical works will provide a conceptual link between courses focused on genetics and molecular biology and courses focused on whole organisms and their ecology. 1.Introduction to population and ecological genetics. Population morphological, ecological and genetic characteristics. Phenotypic Variation in Natural Populations. 2.Genetic Variation in Natural Populations. Genetic variability. Course content: Genetic variability parameters: polymorphism, heterozygosity, allelic richness, effective number of alleles. Estimation of genetic variability. Genetic markers. 3.Estimation of genotype and allele frequencies. 4.Random Mating Populations: Hardy–Weinberg Principle . Hardy–Weinberg proportions. Testing for Hardy–Weinberg proportions. 5.Nonrandom matting. Inbreeding. Inbreeding Depression. Pedigree analysis. Estimation of inbreeding coefficient F. 6.Mechanisms of evolutionary change: forces of Evolution. Mutation. 7.Mechanisms of evolutionary change: Genetic drift. Population bottleneck. Founder effect. 8. Effective population size. 9. Mechanisms of evolutionary change: Natural Selection. Fitness. Modes of natural selection. Heterozygous advantage (overdominance). Frequency-dependent selection. Heterosis. 10.Mechanisms of evolutionary change: Population subdivision. Quantifying population subdivision. Population differentiation. F-statistics. 11.Mechanisms of evolutionary change: Migration. Gene flow. Quantifying gene flow. 12.Four evolutional forces. The interaction among evolutionary forces. 13.Quantitative Genetics. Heritability. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs). 14.Applied Ecological Genetics I. 15.Applied Ecological Genetics II. Grading and evaluating student Mid-term exam - 20 %; practical work – 30 % and final work in class and/or at the final exam - 50 % of the total assessment. exam: 1.Conner J. K, Hartl D. L. A primer of ecological genetics, 2007. 2.F. W. Allendorf, G. H. Luikart, S. N. Aitken. Conservation Required reading and and the Genetics of Populations, 2nd Edition. 2012. additional study material 3. Graham B. Selection: the mechanism of evolution (2nd ed.), 2008. 4.Study material provided by lecturers. Additional information (if applicable) .

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Qrup: 127E; Fənn: Ecological Genetics İmtahan Sualları (2021-Ci Il, Tədris Yükü (Saat) Cəmi: 90 Saat; Mühazirə 45 Saat; Məşğələ 45 Saat)
Bakı Dövlət Universiteti Biologiya fakültəsi; Qrup: 127E; Fənn: Ecological genetics İmtahan sualları (2021-ci il, tədris yükü (saat) cəmi: 90 saat; mühazirə 45 saat; məşğələ 45 saat) 1. The subject of Ecological genetics, its main problems 2. The theoretical and practical problems of Ecological genetics 3. Brief history of Ecological genetics 4. The investigation methods of Ecological genetics 5. Conception of adaptation, adaptive reaction norm 6. The role of modifications and genotypic variations in adaptation 7. Different types of adaptations 8. Ontogenetic and phylogenetic adaptations 9. Population-species adaptations and adaptations in biogeocenosis 10. Adaptive traits of biological systems: plasticity, flexibility, stability, homeostasis, genetic homeostasis and canalization 11. Genetic diversity, its types; significance of conservation of genetic diversity 12. Genetic erosion, its causes and results 13. Genetic effects of population fragmentation, population size, inbreeding and gene flow 14. Population bottleneck and fonder effect 15. Conservation methods of genetic diversity 16. Evolution as a consequence of changes in alleles and allele frequencies in populations over time 17. Factors affecting allele frequencies and genetic equilibrium in populations 18. Genetic nature of adaptive reactions 19. Role of heterozygosity and polymorphism in adaptation 20. Explaining the high level of genetic variation in populations 21. Detecting genetic variation by artificial selection and genetic markers 22. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR); its steps, limits, types and applications 23. Integration of adaptive reactions 24. Role of supergenes and gene-complexes in adaptation 25. Heterostyly, its role in adaptation 26. Genetic regulation mechanisms of adaptive traits 27. Effects of environmental factors on gene expression in prokaryotes; the operon model of regulation 28.
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