Coordinator
Marco Roos: email roos@nhn.leidenuniv.nl
Description
Advanced topics in systematics and biodiversity studies will be introduced and practiced:
Advanced phylogenetics: application of state of the art computeralgorithms.
Homology assessment: the reconstruction of character evolution and the role of evo-devo analyses of specific structures.
Biodiversity information systems: the building of data bases and the possibilities of data mining, e.g. for spatial pattern analyses.
The development of phylogenomics as an approach in Systems biology, incl. multidisciplinary approaches to understanding adaptive and non-adaptive radiations
Advanced spatial pattern analyses and historical biogeography: integrative approaches to map and analyze present distributions, reconstruct past distributions, and model possible future distributions; this includes advanced Island Biogeography in relation to conservation aspects, Paleobiogeography and –ecology.
Methods of instruction
Lectures, exercises, literature study, demonstrations.
Study material
Recent literature.
Examination
Written reports, oral presentation.
Course requirements/recommendations
BSc-course Biodiversity, theory and practice of systematics
Time table
Will be sent in due time.
Application
via USIS
Blackboard
Via regular ways or directly to Peter van Welzen (welzen@nhn.leidenuniv.nl).
Course objective
To provide a theoretical basis for the research applications showcased in “Wealth of the World”: good understanding of concepts of time and space; of collection data, data basing and data mining; of the practice of phylogeny reconstruction; of biogeographic methods and practice; of the integration of paleo/actual data