3100:495-15/695-15

Instructors: Steve Weeks, Randy Mitchell.

Inbreeding (the mating of close relatives) has important ramifications for many aspects of biology. Inbreeding often leads to "inbreeding depression," which is the lowered fitness of offspring produced from these matings. Understanding inbreeding depression is important for agriculture, domestic animal breeding, and conservation of rare species. In this seminar course, we will explore inbreeding and inbreeding depression from genetic, evolutionary, ecological, and other perspectives. The format will include limited lectures, readings from the primary literature, and discussions.

Grades: based on participation in discussions, performance on small projects, performance when leading discussions, and a short paper.

Course information (including reading lists, assignments, project information, and web sites) will be posted on the course web page, at: http://www.uakron/biology/inbreed.html

First few weeks -- Instructors will lecture and lead discussions of readings on the following topics:

What is inbreeding and how is it measured?

What is inbreeding depression and how is it measured?

The remainder of the course will focus on topics chosen, researched, and led by students (in consultation with and with the assistance of the instructors).

Possible topics include:

• The frequency of inbreeding in natural populations
• Methods for estimating rates of inbreeding from genetic data
• The causes and genetic basis of inbreeding depression
• Experimental designs to measure inbreeding depression
• Genetic models of inbreeding depression (e.g., purging of deleterious recessives)
• Evolution of selfing
• Mating systems
• Evolution of mating systems
• Pollen discounting
• Plant vs. animal studies of inbreeding
• Inbreeding and conservation

…and many many more.

Population genetic links -- useful courses and other information on the web, from the population genetics club (see site below)

The Population Genetics Club -- General clearing house for population and conservation information

Philip McClean's tutorial on population genetics at the University of North Dakota

Bibliography of genetics of natural populations (mostly fishes, allozymes)

Virtual fly -- Do virtual genetics with a virtual fly, making virtual crosses to generate virtually any virtual genotypes! Virtually unique site that's lots of fun when reviewing mendel.

Pedigree for the Blue Fugate Family

GDA -- Program for estimating F and other genetic statistics from genetic data (currently at no cost!)

Kermit Ritland's Download page -- Free access to programs to estimate inbreeding rates from genetic data