Basic Animal Breeding and Genetics

2020-11-03
course introduction
The course will have an introduction meeting in zoom at 18.00-19.00 on January 18. If you are accepted to the course and plan to attend the course but can cot participate in the introduction meeting on January 18, please send an email to the course leader. The teaching on the course will mostly be by recorded lectures and exercises and assignments that the students can do any time. About every second week there will be a scheduled meeting in zoom where a teacher can answer questions about the literature and recorded lectures.

Canvas

Here is a link to the public Canvas page for the course. The other information in Canvas is avaialble to students that are registered on the course. https://slu-se.instructure.com/courses/2850/assignments/syllabus

Students that are registered on the course get an invitation to the Canvas room for the course and have to acceptt that invitation to be able to see the files and recorded lectures in Canvas.

HV0189 Basic Animal Breeding and Genetics, 7.5 Credits

Grundläggande husdjursgenetik och avel

Syllabus approved

2019-11-14

Subjects

Biology Animal science

Education cycle

First cycle

Advanced study in the main field

First cycle, less than 60 credits from first-cycle courses as entry requirements(G1F)

Grading scale

Language

English

Prior knowledge

Knowledge equivalent to:
- 30 hp Animal Science
or
- 30 hp Biology
or
- 30 hp Veterinary medicine
or
- 30 hp Animal nursing

and English 6

Objectives

The aim of the course is to provide general knowledge in animal breeding
And genetics.

On completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- explain the purpose of animal breedin in an easy-to-understand manner,

- give an account of basic genetics, organization of the genome as well as regulation of gene expressions,
- explain what biological variation means, what causes it and how it can be described,
- explain how genetic variation can be changed through evolutionary processes and natural selection and how genetic variation can be preserved,
- carry out simple calculations of probability of the genotype of the offspring given the genotypes of parents,
 allele frequencies, genetic variation, heritabilities and individual animals’ inbreeding,
- describe how genetic correlations and individual animals’ breeding values can be estimated,
- describe various types of breeding programs and assess their consequences for the animals’ welfare.

Content

The course starts with an overview of animal breeding and its purpose.
The course provides knowledge of Mendelian inheritance, organization of genome, gene regulation, the function of genes, gene families as well as central genetic and molecular genetic methods. The course also contains genetic variation, population genetics, conservation biology, inbreeding, measures of genetic variation and relationships between traits as well as breeding programs.
The course deals with both natural selection and strategies for sustainable genetic improvement of domestic animals. Ethical questions are discussed in the course.

The teaching is in the form of recorded lectures and demonstrations of calculations, as well as discussions and answering of questions online. The student strengthens his/her knowledge by calculation exercises and other exercises.

In the course, the following general skills are trained: problem-solving, written communication.

Formats and requirements for examination

Passed written examination. Approved assignments and participation in discussion online can give bonus points for the exam.

• If the student fails a test, the examiner may give the student a supplementary assignment, provided this is possible and there is reason to do so.
• If the student has been granted special educational support because of a disability, the examiner has the right to offer the student an adapted test, or provide an alternative assessment.
• If changes are made to this course syllabus, or if the course is closed, SLU shall decide on transitional rules for examination of students admitted under this syllabus but who have not yet passed the course.
• For the examination of a degree project (independent project), the examiner may also allow the student to add supplemental information after the deadline. For more information on this, please refer to the regulations for education at Bachelor's and Master's level.

Other information

• The right to take part in teaching and/or supervision only applies to the course date to which the student has been admitted and registered on.
• If there are special reasons, the student may take part in course components that require compulsory attendance at a later date. For more information on this, please refer to the regulations for education at Bachelor's and Master's level.

Additional information

The course is given as a distance course with written examination in Uppsala at the end of the course.

Responsible department

Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics

Further information

Course: HV0189 Basic Animal Breeding and Genetics

Grading criteria* and type of examination for the different learning outcomes

Grade 5		The student writes about basic genetics and organization of the genome in a scientific way with correct terminology.		The student performs calculations of genetic diversity and interprets the result.			The student compares and discusses breeding programmes and breeding strategies for different species and under different conditions.
Grade 4		The student gives a detailed definition of basic genetic concepts		The student shows in what way different factors can have an effect on the genetic variation	The student chooses an appropriate calculation method in a given situation		The student makes relevant choices of breeding strategies with defined conditions
Grade 3	The student explains the purpose of animal breeding in an easy-to-understand manner	The student gives an account of basic genetics, organization of the genome as well as regulation of gene expressions	The student explains what biological variation means, what causes it and how it can be described	The student explains how genetic variation can be changed through evolutionary processes and natural selection and how genetic variation can be preserved	The student carries out simple calculations of probability of the genotype of the offspring given the genotypes of parents, allele frequencies, genetic variation, heritabilities and individual animals' inbreeding	The student describes how genetic correlations and individual animals' breeding values can be estimated	The student describes various types of breeding programs and assess their consequences for the animals' welfare
Learning outcomes	1. Explain the purpose of animal breeding in an easy-to-understand manner	2. Give an account of basic genetics, organization of the genome as well as regulation of gene expressions	3. Explain what biological variation means, what causes it and how it can be described	4. Explain how genetic variation can be changed through evolutionary processes and natural selection and how genetic variation can be preserved	5. Carry out simple calculations of probability of the genotype of the offspring given the genotypes of parents,? allele frequencies, genetic variation, heritabilities and individual animals' inbreeding	6. Describe how genetic correlations and individual animals' breeding values can be estimated	7. Describe various types of breeding programs and assess their consequences for the animals' welfare
Type of examination	Written exam	Written exam	Written exam	Written exam	Written exam	Written exam	Written exam

* Criteria for Grade 4 and 5 that defines the additional requirements besides the underlying grading level(s)

To receive grade 3 (passed) the student should reach at least grade 3 on all seven learning outcomes.

On the written exam, grade 3 corresponds to 60% of the total score on the exam. For grade 4, at least 75% of the total score is required and for grade 5 at least 90%. There are four voluntary assignments that can give 2 bonus points each that will be added to the result of the written exam. Students will also get 2 bonus points if they contribute in the discussions in Canvas and answer questions from other students in a correct way at least twice. Thus, the maximum number of bonus points is 10.