Content of lectures: Introduction: Biodiversity and species loss, link between genetic diversity and extinction. Evolutionary biology and species conservation: human activities and evolutionary processes, selection and protection of evolutionary important units. Data resources. Genetic variability: polymorphism, expected vs. observed variability, quantitative additive genetics, gene mapping. Variability in changing environment: Habitat fragmentation and barriers against gene flow, inbreeding, migration, effective population size, generation overlap, demography and extinction. Genes and selection: MHC gene family in vertebrates, immunogenetics, pathogens and parasites, local adaptations - Fst, Qst. Forensic genetics and conservation: identification of individuals, paternity testing, sexing, probability tests. Ecological genomics for conservation: data acquisition, genomics in non-model organisms, SNP genotyping, quantitative trait loci (QTL), differential gene expression. Invasive species: genetics of introduced organisms, competition and hybridisation with native species, gene sinking. Management of endangered populations: long-term survival, anthropogenic hybridization, reintroduction, translocations. Threatened organisms in captivity: genetics and management (inbreeding and outbreeding depression, survival simulations, cryobanks). Content of practicals: Data analyses using PC software. Demonstration of conservation practice and selected conservation projects in wild and captive organisms (zoos, protected reserves). Based on search in current literature and public media students will select their favourite conservation topic, they will devise and present a conservation project including data analysis and management plan.
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Allendorf, F.W. and G. Luikart. Conservation and the Genetics of Populations. . Blackwell, 2007.
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Bertorelle G, Bruford MW, Hauffe HC et al (eds). Population genetics for animal conservation. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, 2009.
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Frankham R., Ballou J.D., Briscoe D.A. Introduction to conservation genetics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2002.
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Witzenberger KA, Hochkirch A. Ex situ conservation genetics: a review of molecular studies on the genetic consequences of captive breeding programmes for endangered animal species. 2011.
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