Università Roma Tre

The main objective of the course is to provide students with basic theoretical and practical knowledge to be able to apply the principles of conservation genetics and molecular biology techniques to the management and conservation of nature.
Students will learn the principles of molecular evolution and their implications in conservation genetics, as well as the processes for transforming genetic material into computer data both through the more classic DNA sequencing techniques and through the most modern applications of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). The bases for the interpretation of the data will also be provided through appropriate software.
Most of the course will be devoted to practical activity with laboratory experiences and classroom exercises in which each student will have the opportunity to: (i) learn how to extract genomic material from samples provided by the teacher; (ii) amplify specific genetic markers via Polymerase chain reaction (PCR); (iii) verify the success of the experiment by gel electrophoresis; (iv) analyze and interpret the data obtained from the sequencing of the genetic material with appropriate software.