Lab 1: Introduction to
Population Genetics
August 22, 2012
Instructors
Steve DiFazio
 5200 Life Sciences Building
 Office Hours: Mon, Wed, Thurs 1 to 2 pm
Hari Chhetri (TA)
 5206 Life Sciences Building
 Office Hours: Tue, Wed, Fri 11:30 to 12:30
Please use office hours, or make
appointment!
Required Lab Manual
Slavov, G, E. RodgersMelnick, and S.P. DiFazio.
2012. BIOL 464/GEN 535
Population Genetics
Laboratory Manual. WVU
Press. 107 Pages.
 Available only from WVU
book store (~$20)
 Please purchase by this
Wednesday, August 22
Lab Reports
Lab reports due at beginning of lab period
 12 total, worth 10 points each
 Deduct 0.5 points for each day late
 Last report is optional: up to 10 pts extra credit
Guidelines for lab report are in lab manual
Email and/or paper versions are fine
Most weeks require a write-up with
interpretations for each calculation or simulation
Please be careful to fully answer questions,
including explanations of results from biological
standpoint
Working Together and Academic Honesty
Group work in laboratory is optional but
encouraged
It is fine to discuss lab problems and work on
them together
HOWEVER, your lab report must be your
original work
 See academic honesty policy on class website
Exams are based primarily on the lab
exercises and examples worked in class
Highlights from the Schedule
 Introduction to Probability
 Genetic variation in populations: Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium
 Selection
 Inbreeding
 Genetic drift
 Gene Flow and population structure
 Phylogenetics
 Genetic identity and forensic identification
 Coalescence and neutral theory
 Linkage disequilibrium
 Quantitative genetics
 Tying genotypes to phenotypes
Population Genetics is Important
 Disease susceptibility, genetic testing, and
personalized medicine
 Statistical interpretation of forensic DNA
evidence
 Human evolution and cultural history
 Crop and animal improvement
 Traditional breeding
 Genetic engineering
 Conservation plans for plant and animal
communities
 Responses of plant and animal communities to
climate change
Introductions
Name
Major
Career goal/goal for class.
Be honest!
Mathematical Tools for Population Genetics
Basic algebra
1
1
fe 

4Ne  1   1
Basic calculus
Basic statistics
Probability
m
P   Pk
k 1
PIDsibk
He 

 1
1
1
4
2
2 2
 (1   pi )  [ pi   ( pi ) ]
4
2 i
i
i
Population Genetics and Probability
 Probability is at the core of much of population genetics
 Reproduction is a sampling process
 Effects of mutation, gene flow, selection, and genetic drift
must be seen as departures from expectations based on random
processes
 Example: 1 genetic locus and two alleles in a forest of
20 trees determines color of foliage. Green is dominant.
 What proportion of offspring will have white foliage?
: 4 copies
: 36 copies