91403 - LABORATORIO DI BIODIVERSITA' ED EVOLUZIONE DELLE PIANTE

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student acquires experience in qualitative and quantitative monitoring of biological diversity. Particularly, the student is able to organize assessment protocols for the evaluation of principal parameters describing structure and dynamics of populations, in order to interpret ecological, chorological and historical contexts. The student possesses also advanced knowledge of the techniques of laboratory related to the extraction and amplification of nuclear, mitochondrial and plastidial DNA. Particularly, the student is able to conduct systematic and phylogenetic studies in plants using a molecular approach.

Course contents

The nuclear genome. cpDNA structure. mtDNA evolution. C-value paradox. Repetitive DNA. Macroevolution and microevolution; molecular phylogeny and systematics. Neutral markers in monitoring genetic variation. PCR of non-coding regions. Separation of amplicons by electrophoresis. Molecular data processing. Multivariate analysis. Ordination and classification techniques. Bayesian analyses.

Biodiversity monitoring and estimation: field surveys and samples collection, data analysis. Identification of biological samples with the aid of analytical keys.

Educational travel in areas that represent biodiversity hotspots.

Readings/Bibliography

On-line distribution of didactic material, available on the platform IOL

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons.

 

Practical training in the labs (biological sperimental lab, informatic lab).

Practical training in field-work (data collection). Tutorial.

Assessment methods

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons.

The end-of-course exam aims to assess the achievement of learning objectives, referred to the following topics: conventional definitions of Biodiversity; main approaches to the analysis of biodiversity; factors contributing to the intraspecific diversity; monitoring techniques of plant diversity in the field; biodiversity indexes and informatic tools commonly used in the elaboration of the data collected in the field; characteristics of the three genomes of the plant cell; differences between functional DNA and extragenic DNA; use of neutral molecular markers in the analysis of microevolutionary phenomena; techniques of molecular systematics based on extraction and amplification of DNA; visualization and analysis of PCR products; processing of molecular data using the most common statistical methods of multivariate (PCA, PCO, Cluster analysis) and bayesian analyses. Knowledge of habitats that represent hotspots of biodiversity. The examination, evaluated in thirtieths, consists of a written test in three questions concerning the activity on the field, the experience in the laboratory and the journey of education, followed by a discussion on the arguments developed in the task.

Teaching tools

Power-Point presentations

Field and lab equipments

Office hours

See the website of Lucia Conte

See the website of Marta Galloni