BZ5420 - Ecological Genetics
| Credit points: | 03 |
| Year: | 2014 |
| Student Contribution Band: | Band 2 |
| Administered by: | School of Marine & Tropical Biology (pre 2015) |
Available to postgraduate students enrolled in the Graduate Certificate of Science, Graduate Diploma of Science, Graduate Diploma of Research Methods, Masters of Applied Science, Graduate Certificate of Development Practice, Graduate Diploma of Development Practice, Master of Science or Masters of Development Practice.
An understanding of genetics is important for most biologists, and this will become more so into the future. Knowledge and techniques derived from genetics and related fields are having an increasing impact on our everyday lives. Genetic approaches are crucial to our understanding of ecology and evolution; in understanding how biodiversity arises, managing and conserving biodiversity; for developing new and improved agriculture and aquaculture industries, and in biotechnology. In this subject we expand on knowledge gained in level one undergraduate subjects and show how genetics can provide new insights into all aspects of biology, particularly in the fields of ecology and evolution. This subject is aimed at postgraduate students with very basic knowledge in genetics, aiming to gain a more in depth knowledge on the ecological/evolutionary applications of basic concepts in genetics. Students with a previous genetics background should consider taking BZ5450-Ecological & Conservation Genetics or AQ5004-Aquaculture: Stock Improvement instead.
Learning Outcomes
- Explain how complex organisms result from the basic genetic code; Discuss and describe the applications of genetic techniques to ecology and evolution; Illustrate the basis of, and methods for, studying genetic diversity at different hierarchical levels (from genes to species);
- Define the ways in which structures and functions of living things are determined by genetic factors and interact with their environment;
- Apply and demonstrate proficiency in observation and evaluation of methods of data collection and analysis;
- Illustrate problem-solving and scientific decision- making skills through the preparation and presentation of written technical reports;
- Demonstrate an advanced ability to gather scientific information related to a specific genetic issue, synthesise this information and communicate through oral presentations.
| Assumed Knowledge: | Students enrolling in this subject should have an undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline (eg biology or environmental science) or have acquired equivalent knowledge through other study. They should have a good understanding of fundamental biological science, including an understanding of cell biology, inheritance and the principles of evolution. |
| Inadmissible Subject Combinations: | AG2005 BZ2420 BZ2820 BZ5820 |
Availabilities | |
| Townsville, Internal, Study Period 1 | |
| Census Date 27-Mar-2014 | |
| Coordinator: | Dr Gregory Maes |
| Contact hours: |
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| Assessment: | end of semester exam (40%); tutorials, practical reports, mid-term exam, written assignments and on-course tests; (60%). |
Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.