Genetics and Animal Breeding

Biology, 12th year of schooling

In this degree programme: Cell Biology and Microbiology course unit, Chemistry and Biochemistry course unit

1. Theoretical framework-related lectures
2. Oriented bibliographic research on some student’s interest topics.
3. Exercise solving

Students are expected to understand the fundamentals of heredity, from Mendelian genetics to molecular genetics, recognizing the importance of genetic variability.

Upon completion of this course, students should have a basic knowledge of population genetics and quantitative genetics, which form the basis of animal breeding methodologies.

Students will develop the skills necessary for a critical appreciation of the applications of genetics at a general level. 

Students will be able to formulate hypotheses and analyse the results obtained when faced with specific situations.

Part 1

1. Genetics: the study of heredity
   1. Empirical knowledge of heredity: human offspring, agriculture and livestock farming
   2. Traits and variants: non-hereditary and hereditary, quantitative and qualitative
   3. Hereditary human traits
2. Mendel’s work
   1. Technical innovations
   2. Cases studied
3. Inheritance of qualitative traits
   1. Genetic genograms
      1. Rules
      2. Construction and analysis
   2. Analysis of crosses using Punnett squares: allelic combinations, allelic, genotypic and phenotypic frequencies. Allelic and gene-level molecular mechanisms underlying phenotype expression.
      1. One trait and two (or more) variants. Dominance and recessiveness, incomplete dominance, codominance, lethality, pleiotropy, linkage to one of the sex chromosomes and multiallelism.
      2. Two traits, each with two variants. Combinatorial calculations.
      3. One trait and two genes, each with two alleles. Polygeny and epistasis.
4. What is not Mendelian genetics?

Part 2

1. Molecular genetics
   1. Genetic polymorphisms
   2. Applications of molecular genetics in animal production and breeding
2. Population genetics
   1. Allele and genotype frequencies
   2. Hardy-Weinberg principle
   3. Genetic diversity parameters
   4. Linkage disequilibrium
   5. Inbreeding
3. Selection and animal breeding
   1. Principles of quantitative genetics applied to animal breeding
   2. Genetic parameters and response to selection
   3. Genetic evaluation and BLUP – Animal Model
   4. Selection programmes
   5. Genomics applied to animal breeding
4. Management and conservation of animal genetic resources
   1. Population structure
   2. Use of genomic tools in the management of genetic diversity

During class attendance

• Two periodic assessments at the end of each unit, with scheduled dates and equal weight (2 × 40%).
• Four small assessments, two per unit, with equal weight (4 × 5%).

Final examinations

• A single assessment divided into two parts.
• Students who have met or exceeded the minimum number of attendances defined in the Regulations (66%) may be exempted from assessment in those parts in which they obtained a grade of 7.50 or higher, maintaining that grade in the final exam.
• Partial grades obtained in a final examination cannot be transferred to another.
• Starting the assessment in any part of the final examination implies that this grade will replace the respective attendance grade.

Grade improvement exam

• A single assessment

Attendance and grades from the previous year

• Will not be considered

Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools for the preparation of assessed assignments

The use of Artificial Intelligence in learning situations is comparable to the use of other sources of information: it is a tool for advancing the student’s knowledge, which the student should never use as a substitute for producing work or demonstrating competencies.

In this course unit, the use of any tool that employs artificial intelligence is subject to the same rules that apply to consulting information sources outside the student’s control. In situations where such use is permitted by the instructor, students must cite the specific program (e.g., DataLab, LivePerson, ChatGPT, Beautiful.AI, Grammarly, Synthesia), the date it was used, the purpose (in relation to the assignment in question), and the used prompt(s). It is recommended that the AI’s responses be archived for possible review.

Whenever the use of AI demonstrates that the submitted work lacks individuality and originality of authorship -where such qualities are required- the student will be subject to the sanctions set forth in the relevant UPC regulations currently in effect.

If no form of artificial intelligence was used in the preparation of an assignment, it is recommended that this fact be declared in a statement of honor in a location similar to where the bibliography it will be displayed.

NAO