| Responsible Department | Department of Basic Animal and Veterinary Sciences | ||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | MSc. 1 year | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | One block | ||||||||||||||
| Credits | 7.5 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||
| Level of Course | MSc | ||||||||||||||
| Examination | Final Examination oral examination Some Aid allowed 1 A4-page with own notes Description of Examination: An individual oral examination is held at the end of the course. Students draw one of several known topics followed by 30 minutes of preparation (all aids allowed). The oral examination can last up to 30 minutes and the student starts by giving a brief presentation of the drawn topic. Towards the end of the exam, the discussion is broadened to include other aspects of the curriculum. Weight: Oral examination (100%) 7-point scale, internal examiner | ||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | Lectures, theoretical exercises, practical computer exercises, journal club and self study. | ||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 2 Week Structure: A | ||||||||||||||
| Language of Instruction | English | ||||||||||||||
| Optional Prerequisites | 260002 Animal Breeding 210006 Statistical Data Analysis 2 210004 210012 Mathematics and Models | ||||||||||||||
| Restrictions | None | ||||||||||||||
| Course Content | |||||||||||||||
| Initially, the basic quantitative genetic theory will be introduced for single and multiple loci. This includes genetic drift, mutation, migration, selection, linkage equilibrium, resemblance between relatives, the infinitessimal model, genetic parameters and response to selection. Different inheritance modes, such as dominance and epistasis, are also considered. Inference of breeding values and genetic effects from various information sources such as phenotypic information, pedigree and molecular genetic markers will be a centre of attention. The key issues in designing a breeding program and the basic theory for definition of breeding goals is introduced. This includes estimation of economic values as well as different selection and mating strategies. The impact of modern reproductive and molecular genetic technologies on the possibilities for designing breeding programs will be discussed. The theory of long-term genetic contributions will be introduced as a tool to balance long term genetic progress and inbreeding. A centre of attention will be response to selection that can be predicted, estimated and used in designing and evaluating breeding schemes and selection experiments. | |||||||||||||||
| Teaching and learning Methods | |||||||||||||||
| Lectures, theoretical exercises, practical computer exercises, self study, journal club. In connection with journal club, lectures and exercises, the students are expected to participate actively in mutual discussions. The lectures will be supported by both theoretical and computer exercises such as different simulation methods. The students are expectected to analyse and draw conclusions from small example data sets. The simulation exercises will illustrate the impact of different factors in a breeding program and introduce the simulation method. In connection with journal clubs each student is expected to present and chair the discussion of a selected scientific paper. | |||||||||||||||
| Learning Outcome | |||||||||||||||
| After completing the course students should be able to participate in designing breeding plans, infer breeding values and predict the expected genetic progress and inbreeding level of a given breeding scheme. More specifically, they should: Knowledge: - have a comprehensive understanding of the animal breeding theory which forms the basis for inferring genetic effects and designing breeding plans. Skills: - be able to estimate economic values of different traits and propose a sustainable breeding goal - be able to apply methods to predict breeding values and estimate effects of genetic markers - be able to predict expected genetic response and inbreeding level using simulation Competencies: - be able to critically evaluate methods used in animal breeding and published results - design and manage a breeding scheme for a given breed and animal species | |||||||||||||||
| Course Literature | |||||||||||||||
| Lynch, M. & Walsh, B. (1998) Genetic analysis of quantitative traits, Sinaur. Handouts and scientific papers | |||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||
| Thomas Mark, thm@life.ku.dk, Department of Basic Animal and Veterinary Sciences/Genetics & Bioinformatics, Phone: 353-32890 | |||||||||||||||
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