Current course offerings

Please Note: Course profiles marked as not available may still be in development.

Course description

This course will provide students with a foundation for understanding the genetic basis and evolution of traits that are influenced by both genetics and the environment. In many cases, these `complex¿ traits are controlled by large numbers of genes and their genetic study requires a specialised approach. This course covers theory, methods, and applications of quantitative genetics. With a strong emphasis on phenotypic microevolution, the course will cover the evolution of complex traits, such as life histories, morphology, complex behaviours, and disease. The course centres around the study of two fundamental relationships; the genotype-phenotype map and the phenotype-fitness map. We cover the predictive theories for evolution by natural selection and the measurement of evolvability and constraints. Approaches for genetic dissection of complex traits including Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) and Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) will be covered as well as specialised approaches for inferring causal relationships such as Mendelian Randomisation. Example topics include the evolution of life histories (e.g. ageing) and trade-offs, adaptive radiations, pleiotropy and its consequences, mutation and the maintenance of genetic variation. Case studies span natural variation in wild populations through to human disease. The human genetics module is delivered by leading human geneticists from UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience.

Archived offerings