FRS 677 Population Genetics
POPULATION GENETICS (3). This course is designed to provide students with a general introduction to population genetics, which examines the interaction of basic evolutionary processes (including mutation, natural selection, genetic drift, inbreeding, recombination, and gene flow) in determining the genetic composition and evolutionary trajectories of natural populations. An understanding of the mechanisms shaping genetic variation within and between populations is critical to understanding the course of adaptive evolution and is increasingly being recognized as a critical component of medical research and the development of effective treatments for disease. Both the classic models and insights of the modern evolutionary synthesis and more recently developed approaches based on coalescent theory are considered.