bio773 - Sequence based Biomonitoring (Vollständige Modulbeschreibung)

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+ deepened biological expertise
++ deepened knowledge of biological working methods
++  data analysis skills
++ critical and analytical thinking
+ independent searching and knowledge of scientific literature
++ data presentation and discussion in English (written and spoken)
++ statistics and scientific computing

Content of the module: 

Lecture: The identification of organisms based on DNA sequences is well established and databased dedicated for this purpose are growing through ‚barcoding of life‘ initiatives. Such information can be used to assign sequences extracted from environmental samples to individual species. This can be used to obtain species inventories and to study communities. While these methods are already used in fundamental research, they are only slowly adopted by fields such as conservation and ecosystem monitoring. The lecture covers concepts, methods, promises and problems of sequence based biomonitoring.

Seminar: participants present topics relevant to the module.

Exercise: We will generate and analyse sequence data data from environmental samples to generate species inventories for terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. For this purpose we will extract eDNA from samples and apply next generation sequencing. The read data will be jointly analysed on the university hpc cluster. The participants will study methods and concepts associated with the analyses and present them in short presentations. The key aspect in the practical cours is to assign sequences to species and to discuss the applicability of the methods in fundamental research and in applied, management oriented research.

recommended :

bio733 Evolutionary Biology Population Genetics

bio675 Molecular Ecology

portfolio (presentation, results protocol)