SEX CHROMOSOME EVOLUTION Course

Online,14-18 February 2022

This course will introduce attendees to how the genomic and transcriptomic data can be used to detect homomorphic/heteromorphic sex chromosomes and inform the cause and consequences of sex chromosome differentiation. The instructors will guide students through study design, genomic/transcriptomic data collection methods, handling of raw genomic/transcriptomic data, and methods to identify sex chromosomes. Then, we will work through a suite of analyses looking at the molecular evolution of sex chromosomes, particularly the timing and patterns of recombination suppression, gene gain/loss, gene expression differentiation, and genome divergence. We will provide background on the theory and hands-on exercises, running analysis, and interpreting results. After completing the course, the participants should be able to manipulate, visualize and interpret genomic data and patterns of sex chromosome evolution.