Lecture 1: Introduction to Population Genetics

August 20, 2012

Instructors  Steve DiFazio

 5200 Life Sciences Building  Office Hours: Mon, Wed, Thurs 1 to 2 pm

 Hari Chhetri (TA)

 5206 Life Sciences Building  Office Hours: Tue, Wed, Fri 11:30 to 12:30

 Please use office hours, or make appointment!

Course Structure  Two 50-minute lectures per week

 Do readings before class  Bring a calculator to class  Be ready to participate!  Handouts of lecture slides will usually be

distributed at beginning of class  Slides posted to website after class (don’t

print old slides)

 One 2-hour lab session, 6:30-8:20 each week

Grading  Exam 1, Sept 26, 120 points

 Exam 2, Oct 31, 120 points

 Weekly Lab Reports, 12 X 10 pts = 120 points

 Final Exam, Monday, Dec 11, 11 am, 3131 LSB, 140 points

 Extra credit opportunities

 Scale for final grades:

(no curve)

http://www.as.wvu.edu/~sdifazio/popgen/ or Google “difazio popgen”

Home page has information from syllabus:

 Course structure

 Grading

 Rules and policies

Class Website

Schedule Page  Updated

continuously during course

  Lecture slides available following lecture

  Reading assignments

  Exam schedule

  Lab schedule

Required Text Hedrick, P.W. 2011.

Genetics of Populations. Jones and Bartlett

 Available from WVU book store

 Also partially on Google Books (searchable)

Supplemental Reading Three books on reserve in

WVU downtown library:

 Hamilton, M. 2009. Population Genetics.

 Gillespie, J.H. 2004. Population Genetics: A Concise Guide.

  Falconer, D.S., and T.F.C. Mackay. 1996. Introduction to Quantitative Genetics.

Mountain Lynx

Supplemental Reading

Other Resources

Laboratory  TA: Hari Chhetri

 Tightly linked to lectures

 Intended as “Active Learning” modules

 Enhance understanding of concepts and principles  Provide hands-on introduction to Population

Genetics software

 Every Wednesday evening, 6:30 to 8:20 pm

 3306 Life Sciences Building (Biology computer lab)

 Bring a calculator and your lab manual

Required Lab Manual Slavov, G, E. Rodgers-

Melnick, and S.P. DiFazio. 2012. BIOL 464/GEN 535 Population Genetics Laboratory Manual. WVU Press. 107 Pages.

 Available only from WVU book store (~$20)

  Please purchase by this Wednesday, August 22

Extra Credit Opportunity

Find a new error in the Lab Manual or Text  Typo/grammatical error:

1 point

  Calculation, derivation or mathematical error: 5 points

  First come, first served

Laboratory Web Page

 Schedule of lab topics

  Links to required software and data

 Due dates for lab reports

Lab Reports  Lab reports due at beginning of lab period

 12 total, worth 10 points each  Deduct 0.5 points for each day late  Last report is optional: up to 10 pts extra credit

 Guidelines for lab report are in lab manual

 Email and/or paper versions are fine

 Most weeks require a write-up with interpretations for each calculation or simulation

 Please be careful to fully answer questions, including explanations of results from biological standpoint

Working Together and Academic Honesty

 Group work in laboratory is optional but encouraged

 It is fine to discuss lab problems and work on them together

 HOWEVER, your lab report must be your original work

 See academic honesty policy on class website

 Exams are based primarily on the lab exercises and examples worked in class

Highlights from the Schedule   Introduction to Probability

  Genetic variation in populations: Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

  Selection

  Inbreeding

  Genetic drift

  Gene Flow and population structure

  Phylogenetics

  Genetic identity and forensic identification

  Coalescence and neutral theory

  Linkage disequilibrium

  Quantitative genetics

  Tying genotypes to phenotypes

What is Evolution?

Evolutionary Synthesis

 Fisher, Wright, and Haldane were fathers of population genetics and modern evolutionary theory

 Working in early 1920’s, worked out how to apply Mendel’s laws in a population context to provide mechanistic explanation for evolutionary change

http://www.ars.usda.gov

Sewall Wright

http://www.york.ac.uk

R.A. Fisher

http://www.ucc.ie/

J.B.S. Haldane

Population Genetics Study of heritable variation in assemblages of organisms, and how this is affected by mutation, drift, selection, and gene flow

Diversity

Mutation +

Drift -

Selection

+/-

Migration

+

Population Genetics is Important  Disease susceptibility, genetic testing, and

personalized medicine

 Statistical interpretation of forensic DNA evidence

 Human evolution and cultural history

  Crop and animal improvement

 Traditional breeding  Genetic engineering

  Conservation plans for plant and animal communities

  Responses of plant and animal communities to climate change