Description

General Description

Polyploidy plays an important role in the evolution of life but is often overlooked in undergraduate classrooms. In this series, we explore how polyploid species are formed, how they evolve and adapt, and their economic and conservation importance. This is done through a series of five separate modules. 

Module 1 explores the genetic processes that lead to the natural and artificial formation of polyploids by exploring case studies of plants and animals that may be familiar to students. 

Module 2 explores cell division in polyploid animals, focusing on the differences between allopolyploids and autopolyploids, as well as odd versus even ploidy levels. 

Module 3 explores how polyploid animals evolve, including what happens to duplicate genomes after polyploidization, the effects of polyploidization on rapid adaptation, and the role that whole-genome duplications have played in vertebrate evolution. 

Module 4 explores how to read and understand polyploid phylogenetic trees and how the genomic structure of polyploid organisms impacts phylogenetic analysis. 

Module 5 explores several case studies on the conservation of polyploid species and the economic impact of polyploidization on our daily lives. 

Context for Use

This series of modules is intended for use as a hands-on activity in an upper-level undergraduate biology classroom, for example, a genetics or evolution course.

Instructor Notes

Some prior knowledge about genetics and evolution is needed to use these modules, but no previous knowledge about polyploidy is necessary. These modules are written in a way that they build off of each other conceptually, but may also be used individually if necessary. Each should take around 1 hour to complete but may take up to 2 if used as a discussion prompt. 

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