Applied Genetics

Code:

RM26

Acronym:

GA

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Marine Biology and Ecology

Instance: 2022/2023 - 2S (of 20-02-2023 to 14-07-2023)

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Microscopy
Course/CS Responsible:	Master Degree in Marine Sciences - Marine Resources

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MCMRM	0	Oficial Plan 2018	1	-	5	50	135

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

Provide the students with the knowledge of the fundamental principles of Cytogenetics and Animal Breeding as an intervening tool in Animal Welfare and Production.

Learning outcomes and competences

Besides fundamental concepts on cytogenetics and animal genetics, the student should know how to perform cytogenetic laboratorial techniques, as well as estimate genetic parameters, make simple genetic evaluations, compute breeding values, define objectives and criteria for developing selection programs, calculate genetic progress by unit of time.

Working method

Presencial

Program

Cytogenetics:

Theoretical program: the karyotype; comparative analysis of fish karyotype with other species;normal chromosome morphology structure and function of chromatin; chromosome aberrations, numerical and stuctural; causes and consequences; sex chromosomes and sexual differentiation; chromosome instability as a biomarker of environmental genotoxicity; cytogenetics applyed to the study of biodiverse conservation of aquatic species; chromosome manipulation applyed to animal breeding.

practical program: performance of cell cultures for the obtention of metaphase chromosomes;

charactherization of the karyotype of a aquatic animal; performance of specific techniques for genotoxicity detection.

Population Genetics: The single locus model. Selection and selection response. Breeding value. Average effect of a gene substitution. Dominance deviation.

Quantitative Genetics: Quantitative traits, the genetic model, environmental effects and epistasis. Animal improvement strategies. Partition of the phenotypic variance. The normal distribution. Covariances, correlations and regressions. Partition of the genetic variance; heritabilities in broad and narrow sense. Repeated traits, permanent and temporary environmental effects; repeatability and prediction of future records. Direct and collateral genetic relationships. Computing inbreeding and additive relationships. Genetic regression on the phenotype. Prediction of breeding values. Accuracy of prediction. Genetic evaluations with different sources of records. Response to selection (genetic progress per generation and year), selection differential, selection intensity. Alternative selection programs. Selection of more than one trait, correlated response. Mating strategies. Inbreeding and linebreeding. Crossbreeding, heterosis. Synthetic breeds.

Principles of Animal Breeding: The genetic model. Variances and covariances with interess for animal breeding. Expected values. Dominance and additive genetic relationships matrices. Interpretation of covariances. ANOVA. Models of one effect, partition of the variance components. Sire model, repeatability model, variance estimators and intraclass correlation. The animal model, expected values and variance components. Equivalent models.

Mandatory literature

Vleck L. Dale Van; Genetics for the animal sciences (fot.). ISBN: 0-7167-1800-6
Lacadena Juan-Ramón; Citogenética. ISBN: 84-89365-58-X
Pisano E 340; Fish cytogenetics. ISBN: 978-1-57808-330-5
Purdom Colin E.; Genetics and fish breeding. ISBN: 0-412-33040-7
Mrode R. A.; Linear models for the prediction of animal breeding values. ISBN: 0-85198-996-9
Vleck L. Dale van; Selection index and introduction to mixed model methods. ISBN: 0-8493-8762-0
Chapman A. B. 340; General and quantitative genetics. ISBN: 0-444-41836-9
Falconer D. S.; Introduction to quantitative genetics. ISBN: 0-582-24302-5
Mrode, R., J. Carvalheira and L. Schaeffer. Chapter 13: Test Day Models; History of Genetic Evaluation Methods in Dairy Cattle, 2013. ISBN: 978-973-27-2347-0

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical and Pratical classes. Theoretical classes are fundamentaly oral presentations. Pratical classes are laboratorial and designed to practical exercices.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	60,00
Participação presencial	20,00
Trabalho laboratorial	20,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	35,00
Trabalho de investigação	50,00
Trabalho laboratorial	50,00
Total:	135,00

Eligibility for exams

To be admitted to final examination, students must attend to practical lessons, at least 75% of them, and a minimum performance of 9.5 in 20 points.

Calculation formula of final grade

Written final examination with theoretical content (60%), oral presentation (1) (20%) and lab performance and exercises (10%).

(1) the student must present a scientific paper (maximum 10 min), about an application of cytogenetics to aquatic organisms or about animal breeding.