Current Crosslistings MARI 3042
MARI 3042
BIOL 2030BIOL 2040BIOL 2060
Define gene flow and genetic drift (and founder effect) and explain how they influence allele frequencies in populations [BIOL 1010] Define Mendel’s two laws of heredity that explain the transmission of traits from one generation to the next [BIOL 1010] [BIOL 1030] Demonstrate an understanding of molecular phylogenetics, including the concept of tracing the evolution history of genes (e.g. gene duplication, horizontal gene transfer). [BIOL 1010] Describe how abiotic factors influence the distribution and abundance of organisms [BIOL 2060] Explain and illustrate the fundamental biochemistry required in the application of modern techniques of molecular biology: (i) screen complementary (cDNA) and genomic libraries to identify and clone specific DNA (gene) sequences; (ii) DNA sequencing [BIOL 2030] Explain how connectivity can influence extinction of metapopulations [BIOL 2060] Recall the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a key method in molecular biology. Use and know when to make use of common biological research tools such as compound microscopes, gel electrophoresis units, pipettors and micropipettors, bioinformatics tools, and enzyme assays. [BIOL 1010] [BIOL 1011] [BIOL 1030] Analyze data using basic statistical techniques (mean, standard deviation, n, chi-square test). [BIOL 1010] [BIOL 1011] [BIOL 1030] Describe and diagram the structure of DNA. [BIOL 2030] Describe how DNA is transcribed to RNA and how RNA is translated into proteins. [BIOL 2030] Describe in detail restriction endonucleases, their recognition sequences in DNA, and their application in the Southern blot and hybridization technique for diagnosis of human genetic disease. [BIOL 2030] Explain the basic process of evolution by natural selection (following from what are sometimes called Darwin's postulates). [BIOL 2040] Explain the concept of heritability in terms of the genetic vs. environmental variance for a trait [BIOL 2040] Interpret phylogenies, and use phylogenies to test hypotheses about evolution (e.g. adaptation, speciation etc) [BIOL 2040] Outline examples of positive (e.g. mutualism, symbiosis, facilitation) and negative (e.g. competition, predation, parasitism) biological interactions [BIOL 2060] Use the Hardy-Weinberg principle to calculate expected genotype and allele frequencies (1 Locus, 2 Alleles) [BIOL 1010] Apply the Mendelian principles of heredity for both autosomal and sex-linked inheritance. [BIOL 2030] Comprehend the basic principles of population and quantitative genetics, and give examples of their application to real biological systems. [BIOL 2030] Define and explain the four evolutionary forces, mutation, selection, drift and migration. [BIOL 2040] Explain how complex genetic systems lead to modifications of the basic principles of Mendelian inheritance. [BIOL 2030] Express the concepts of evolution as changes in allele frequencies and the Hardy-Weinberg principle. Use the BIDE (births, deaths, immigration, emigration), exponential and logistic population growth models to make predictions [BIOL 2060]
Demonstrate a general understanding of how DNA (and RNA) based methods contribute to many areas of ecology, including the identification of species for wildlife management and forensic purposes, conservation biology, behavioural ecology, the study of dispersal on historical and contemporary timescales, management of captive breeding to rescue and support wild populationsCompare different methods of analyzing single nucleotide polymorphisms, and detail how they can be used in population genetic analyses.Design DNA primers that could be used for targeted amplification of specific DNA segments via PCR.Explain how DNA sequence data are used to identify species, and how this methodology has developed into a new subdiscipline of taxonomic science known as ‘DNA barcoding’Explain how the field of phylogeography examines questions of historical structure and dispersal of populations, and describe the underlying DNA-based methods involvedOutline basic features of newer methods of DNA sequencing and how they have initiated an important shift from ‘population genetics’ to ‘population genomics’Outline newer variations of PCR, quantitative PCR (qPCR) and reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), and their applications in molecular ecologyDefine inbreeding and inbreeding depressionDefine supportive breeding and domestication selection and understand the potential consequences of supportive breeding for the maintenance of genetic diversityDescribe DNA microsatellites, the models of how they mutate, and their uses in population genetics, pedigree analyses, behavioural ecology and forensic analysesDescribe the basic elements of how the field of ‘metagenomics’ examines the genetic diversity of microbial communities and how the new methods of DNA sequencing are revolutionizing this fieldDescribe the concept of effective population size (Ne), its importance in population and conservation biology, and the different ways in which it is estimatedDescribe the general features of mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes (mtDNA and cpDNA), and how they make these ‘cytoplasmic’ genomes especially useful in population genetics and phylogeographyDiscuss the genetics of invasive speciesInterpret F-statistics on population structure and explain how deviations from the Island Model assumptions affect interpretationsOutline how genetics can be used for fisheries management and forensic purposesSummarize key features of model-based clustering approaches to estimating population structure and gene flow
