28 October - 1 November 2024

Seascape genetics/genomics is an emerging and multidisciplinary research field that studies how the underwater environment shapes the genomic diversity and connectivity of marine organisms.

In this course, students will firstly learn how to extract environmental data from publicly available databases and how to use it to characterize the seascape structure and conditions. For instance, students will learn how to use remote sensing data to describe sea water temperature oscillations or sea water movements. Next, the course will bring its focus on genomic analyses: students will learn how to evaluate genetic structures in the marine environment and how to calculate and display connectivity between populations. The combination of environmental and genomic data will also lead to the study of local adaptation. Students will learn different methods to discover genetic/genomic signatures potentially involved in adaptation against specific environmental constraints. The course will also cover the critical task of the interpretation and validation of the results, particularly in an applied conservation and management context. Finally, the workshop will consider the crucial aspects and good habits to account for designing a seascape genomics experiment (e.g. sampling design) from a relevant scientific question.

The course is organized in ten learning sessions. Student will be guided through a seascape genomics experiment with sessions that couple brief theoretical introductions with practical work.

This workshop is aimed at all biologists, ecologists, geneticists, veterinarians that want to implement the seascape genomics approach in their own studies of evolutionary biology and conservation. Even though the course is not intended for a specialized audience, basic knowledge in evolutionary biology and population genetics would help. Students will learn how to use GIS, but basic computer skills are desirable (e.g. in the R environment). A basic understanding of statistics is also necessary.

Monday – Classes from 2 to 8 pm Berlin time

Session 1- Introduction

-          Overview of the course program

-          Introduction on Seascape Genomics

-          Examples

Session 2 - Datasets

-          Downloading environmental data

-          Exploring genetic/genomic datasets