Population Genetics

Catalog description

Studies how populations evolve in response to demography and natural selection, to understand genetic diversity and variation. Includes a study of mutation, drift, neutral theory, migration, selection, structure and inbreeding. Lab includes a small-scale population genetics project, involving local flora and fauna. Lab covers DNA extraction, quality control, PCR, genotyping, sequencing, bioinformatics using R to address questions about evolutionary history and genomic diversity. Three hours of lecture. One hour of discussion. Three hours of laboratory. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 352 with a grade of C (2.0) or better, or enrollment in the Biological Sciences graduate program.