66758 - Marine Population Structure and Connectivity

Learning outcomes

Students will acquire conceptual knowledge and technological/empirical skills to

analyse and retrieve patterns, processes and strategies of dispersal of marine populations

analyse and understand mechanisms of inheritance and selection of neutral and adaptive genetic traits in marine populations to respond at environmental changes (including anthropogenic disturbances).

Students will possess abilities to

assess ecological and reproductive (genetic) connectivity among marine populations by means of the population genetic structure analysis carried out using neutral and under-selection molecualr markers;

critically analyse the relationships between patterns of population reproductive (genetic) connectivity and environmental/ecological factors and processes shaping the spatio-temporal structure, distribution and abundance of marine populations;

analyse and reconstruct the dispersal/evolutionary processes of populations in marine realm.

 

Course contents

Lectures (4 ECTS)

Conceptual bases: Paradigms of dispersal, connectivity and structure of marine populations and changes related to scientific advances. Microevolutionary foces affecting marine populations. Relationships among environmental, ecological and reproductive (genetic) factors and impact on genetic diversity and differentiation of marine populations.

Technological tools: Genetic and genomic markers, statistical tools for genetic data analyses. Basic info on satellite and microchemical tagging tools.

Pylogeography and historical demography of marine populations: relationships among among geographical genetic variation, species/population distribution and historical demographic changes of marine populations.

Genetic structure and connectivity of marine populations: relationships among spatial population genetic variation and structure, connectivity, natural selection and environmental/ecological factors.

Temporal changes in marine populations: relationships among temporal genetic variation and demographic changes in marine populations

Empirical case studies illustrating the relationships aforementioned in invertebrate and Vertebrate marine organisms. Impacts' focus on

• Identification of population units for sustainable exploitation and conservation
• Genetic herosion and stock depletion
• Traceability of origin at the population and individual levels. Forensic applications
  
• Parentage analysis and assignments. Applications in biological conservation and aquaculture

Lab practicals (2 ECTS)

Lab practical 1. Molecular markers and technologies for the phylogeography and stock structure/connectivity analysis in marine populations. Conceptul basis and technological/operative applications on different genetic and genomic markers. Development and analysis of genetic markers (deep insight on  genomic markers are given in the Course APPLICAZIONI GENETICHE E GENOMICHE PER ACQUACOLTURA E PESCA), experimental design, sampling and storage techniques, basic molecular methods (DNA extraction, amplificiation, electrophoresis, sequencing and genotyping).

Lab practical 2. Genetic data analysis to assess microevolutionary patterns and processes of geographical population structuring: mtDNA variation analysis, genetic distance estimate, reconstruction of phylogenetic trees, boostrap analysis, comparative phylogeographic analyses, identification of cryptic species.

Lab practical 3. Modelling temporal genetic changes in marine populations under the microevolutionary forces as migration, genetic drift, population size, natural selection. Estimate of genotype and allele frequencies, estimate of fixation indexes, analysis of molecular variance, permutation test.

Lab practical 4. Genetic data analysis to assess ecological/environmental patterns and processes of structuring in marine populations: microsatellite and Single Nucleotide Polymorphism analysis, learning and use of tests and software for population-based and individual-based genetic analysis.

Readings/Bibliography

The course does not use textbooks cause the highly specialized contents. All scientific papers and monographs illustrated and discussed within lectures and lab practicals will be furnished to students.

Teaching methods

Lectures

Individual lab practicals to give basic molecular and bioinformatic skills.

Assessment methods

Owing to the Covid19 restriction rules, at this moment examinations are performed in oral mode and by remote. However, as Covid19 rules will change according to the pandemic impacts examination will be better defined (in agreement with the class).

Reports on individual lab practicals are reccomended. They are not compulsory, however lecturers and instructors could consider them for the final evaluation.

Teaching tools

Scientific papers and monographsontye course contents; slide presentations.

Lab methods and handouts for the Lab practical 1. Lab handouts, data sets and free-user software for Lab practicals 2-4.

 

Office hours

See the website of Fausto Tinti

See the website of Alessia Cariani