Organismic and Molecular Biodiversity
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Scientific and public interest in the issue of biodiversity and how it has been changing has been growing rapidly for years, resulting from the dramatic drop in both the numbers and populations of species in general. Nevertheless, the increased demand for biodiversity research and scientific monitoring have both been offset by the lack of suitably qualified specialists. This professional dearth concerns areas such as species knowledge as well as the interface between fundamental research in and practical application of nature conservation. Morphological knowledge, which is of critical importance both for evolutionary biology and the functional properties of organisms and ecosystems, often receives scant or even no attention in education. In molecular research, in many cases, methods are only now becoming available that urgently need to be broadly applied.This master’s degree program shall provide detailed and specialized knowledge on biodiversity, interconnecting organismic, morphological, and molecular approaches. The aim shall be to train specialists who will be capable of developing novel solutions for the conservation and protection of biodiversity.Within the three specialized fields of Species Diversity and Natural History Collections, Evolution of Functional Biodiversity, and Molecular Biodiversity, students shall acquire advanced knowledge of species as well as their documentation in collections, the evolution of their diversity of forms, and molecular biological approaches. The students shall be able to use modern organismic and molecular methods to familiarize themselves with the current problem of biodiversity research. They shall acquire extensive knowledge on the systematics, diversity, and evolution of animals, plants, and fungi. Program graduates shall possess taxonomic expertise for selected groups of organisms (animals, plants, fungi), know the essential concepts of applied ecology, and be familiar with the genetic methods used in biodiversity research. They shall become proficient with important statistical evaluation and analytical methods and apply them to their own projects.Depending on the specializations chosen, knowledge in the basics shall then be deepened further:a) In the area of Species Diversity and Natural History Collections, students shall acquire in-depth knowledge of the taxonomy and ecology of selected groups of species and master the relevant methodologies. They shall also gain an understanding of biocoenoses, becoming able to assess them from an ecological and conservation perspective, e.g., in the form of expert appraisals. Students shall also learn about collection management, including specimen acquisition, preparation, recording, maintaining, documenting, and scientific evaluation.b) In the specialization of Evolution of Functional Biodiversity, students shall familiarize themselves with the theory and methodology of morphological and anatomical investigations and shall become able to assess any corresponding properties within an evolutionary and functional framework.c) In the specialization of Molecular Biodiversity, students shall acquire theoretical and practical knowledge of state-of-the-art genetic methods, including bioinformatics analyses. They shall be equipped to observe the genetic basis of evolutionary processes as well as the various levels from the gene through the chromosome to the entire genome.The knowledge acquired can then be broadly applied from biotechnology to nature conservation.
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Dresden
Saxony
1069
Germany
- 2 years
- Full Time
- On Campus Learning
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