250080 VO Mathematical population genetics (2020W)

This lecture course gives an introduction to mathematical population genetics. Population genetics is concerned with the study of the genetic composition of populations and how this composition is changed by genetic, ecological, or evolutionary factors such as selection, mutation, recombination, mating, migration, or random genetic drift. Therefore, in population genetics these mechanisms and their interactions are studied. Population genetics is a prerequisite for understanding biological evolution and has important applications in animal and plant breeding, as well as in conservation biology. In this course, an introduction to the most fundamental mathematical models is provided. These are usually formulated in terms of differential- or difference equations, or as Markov processes. In the simplest cases, these models describe the evolution of gene frequencies under the influence of the above mentioned factors. Also models are designed that allow inferences about evolutionary processes in the history of a population given data of its present genetic conposition. Students are strongly advised to attend the exercises (PS) because many important examples will be treated there that illustrate and deepen the theory covered by the lectures. The exercises will be held bi-weakly (then 90 minutes).