From Molecules to Populations: Describing Diversity Using Molecular Tools

Ever wonder how biologists reconstruct ancient human migrations?  Or, how a paternity test works? It’s all in the genes, folks!  Our session will focus on the many practical applications of molecular biology. Building on the Lady Beetle Blitz session, we’ll describe variation in field collected beetles, categorizing them based on phenotype, and then use molecular tools to reconstruct their North American Invasion in the late 1980s.

At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Describe the diversity of a population in terms of phenotype and genotype.
• Use genotypic information to answer questions about the migration of a species.
• Use genotypic information to answer evolutionary questions about organisms.

Resources:

• Lesson plan (.doc)
• Handouts:
  • Phenotype and genotype comparison (.doc)
  • Genetic sequences (.doc)
  • Lady beetle intro sequences (.doc)
  • Mitochondrial DNA data and questions (.doc) (optional extension)

Lesson Plan created by GK-12 Partners Robin Tinghitella and Sandy Breitenbach