Molecular Data in Biodiversity - MB162QW05

• Title: Molecular Data in Biodiversity
• Czech title: Molekulární data v biologické rozmanitosti
• Guaranteed by: Department of Ecology (31-162)
• Faculty: Faculty of Science
• Actual: from 2025
• Semester: winter
• E-Credits: 6
• Examination process: winter s.:
• Hours per week, examination: winter s.:10/5, Ex [DS]
• Capacity: unlimited
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: not taught
• Language: English
• Explanation: Subject of the 1st semester of QuBiDTo be taught at University of Warsaw
• Guarantor: Sergi Lopez-Torres, Ph.D.

Annotation

This course equips students with the theoretical and practical foundations needed to use molecular data to explore and understand biodiversity. It covers the entire workflow of molecular biodiversity research, from experimental design and selection of sequencing platforms (e.g., Illumina, Oxford Nanopore, PacBio) to data processing, bioinformatic analysis, and ecological interpretation. Students will compare the advantages and limitations of different sequencing methods, including amplicon-based approaches (barcoding, metabarcoding) and genome-based approaches (genomes and metagenomes), and learn how to select the most appropriate strategy for specific objectives. The course emphasises technical bioinformatics skills, such as sequence quality control, assembly, clustering, and taxonomic assignment, using R and Python for downstream ecological and statistical analyses. Students will work with key molecular and biodiversity databases (e.g., GenBank, BOLD, UNITE, MGnify), gaining experience in database searching, data integration, and combining molecular results with environmental and sample metadata to reveal ecological and evolutionary patterns.

Course coordinator: Anna Karnkowska

Last update: Gáliková Kristýna, Mgr. et Mgr., DiS. (21.11.2025)