Course coordinator
Dr Angela Lees
Consultation is by appointment. To arrange a time to meet, please email a.lees@uq.edu.au
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- External
- Attendance mode
- Online
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- Gatton
- Coordinating unit
- Agriculture and Food Sustainability School
The application of breeding programs in animal enterprises based on the principles of mendelian & population genetics.
Understanding the fundamentals of animal genetics, and the application of genetic principles in animal breeding are paramount to the management of animal breeding programs. This is essential not only for livestock, and companion animals (horse, dogs and cats) but also for conservation of endangered species and the management of captive populations. This course is NOT about animal reproduction if you are looking for this please refer to ANIM3019.
This course is being offered as a more traditional offering in 2025. This means that we will be providing formal face-to-face lectures for students participating in the IN-PERSON mode. These lectures will be recorded and made available to EXTERNAL mode students via Blackboard.
This course also offers an extensive tutorial series throughout the semester, as there is no residential school these sessions have been pre-recorded for EXTERNAL students. These tutorials are designed to help you to develop a deeper understand of the concepts presented during the lectures and prepare you for the sequential assessments (Sequential Quizzes). These quizzes are scheduled throughout the semester, as such it is important that EXTERNAL students ensure that they complete these quizzes per the scheduled timelines.
All course content, including lecture and tutorial slides and additional readings will be provided to you via BlackBoard. Please be advised that this course has been selected to undertake a pilot of the new iteration of Blackboard - BlackBoard Ultra. This means that the Blackboard site for this course may look and feel different to previous BlackBoard sites and other courses you are enrolled in this semester.
Upon completion of this course you should be able to discuss and apply Mendelian genetics and population genetics to animal breeding programs and discuss rationally the advantages and disadvantages of variousﾠanimal breeding programs and selection strategies. There is an expectation that you will read the supplied material as well as the recommended readings. Furthermore, you should keep abreast of developments, this means we are encouraging you to read widely, and make use of BlackBoard and engage in discussions.
Please be aware that you WILL require a calculator for the end of semester examination. For this you need to ensure that you have access to a UQ approved calculator. Information about approved calculators can be found on the examinations website. If you do not have an approved calculator you will need to ensure that you obtain an approval sticker from the student centre.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Students must have:
- Basic maths skills
- An understanding of basic genetics
- Be able to use computer spreadsheets
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
ANIM2002
Jointly taught details
This course is jointly-taught with:
- Another instance of the same course
This course is co-taught with the In Person mode of ANIM3046, meaning that lecture content, readings, and self-directed learning activities are shared via Blackboard. External students are expected to follow the same tutorial schedule as internal students; however, tutorial sessions are provided in a pre-recorded format. For more details, please refer to the external mode guidelines.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Demsonstrator
Miss Pippa Pryor
Timetable
Additional timetable information
Course Summary
Information highlighting the course schedule will be available in the Learning Activities section of this Course Profile for a week-by-week approach to your study program. In the event that changes are required, this will be announced via BlackBoard. Please ensure that you are referring to BlackBoard for the most up-to-date information.
Lectures
Lectures in this course will be delivered face-to-face and provided to EXTERNAL students via the lecture recordings section in BlackBoard. However, in cases where guest lecturers are unavailable or scheduling conflicts arise, a pre-recorded lecture may occasionally be provided. If this occurs, you will be notified through Blackboard.
Tutorials
All tutorials are offered in a pre-recorded format for EXTERNAL students. Students will need to follow the tutorialﾠtimetable for submission of the sequential quizzesﾠas described in the assessment section (Sequential Quizzes).
Aims and outcomes
The aim of this course is to allow students to attain a basic understanding of animal genetics & animal breeding systems.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Use Mendelian theories to describe gene inheritance and the relationship with phenotypic expression in animal breeding
LO2.
Use population information to determine gene frequency and genotypic frequency and explain how these changes impact on genetic change
LO3.
Describe and calculate the connections between heritability, intensity of selection, accuracy of selection and generation interval on genetic progress in animal breeding programs
LO4.
Use knowledge about animal breeding programs to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of selection strategies
LO5.
Discuss the ethics of animal breeding including impacts of selection and perceptions of advanced gene technologies
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | The Genetics of Adaptation | 30% Formative Assessment |
6/05/2025 5:00 pm |
| Quiz |
Sequential Quizzes
|
20% (4 x 5% each) |
Quiz 1. Systems 20/03/2025 - 21/03/2025 Quiz 2. Mendelian inheritance 27/03/2025 - 28/03/2025 Quiz 3. Breeding Objective, Inbreeding and Heritability 17/04/2025 - 18/04/2025 Quiz 4. Heterosis and Hybrid Vigour 22/05/2025 - 23/05/2025
Sequential Quiz will be open for 28 hours. This sequential quiz will open on Thursday at 1300 h and close at 1700 h on the Friday. |
| Examination |
End Semester Exam
|
50% |
End of Semester Exam Period 7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025 |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
The Genetics of Adaptation
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 30% Formative Assessment
- Due date
6/05/2025 5:00 pm
Task description
This assessment is a Literature Review - 2000 to 2500 words (excluding references)
General Overview
Traditional approaches for selecting animals for breeding purposes, i.e. selection for breeding for specific traits, has been undertaken using individual phenotypic performance metrics. This has typically been done with the target to improve productivity in production species. As such selection has predominantly focused almost exclusively on selecting animals for specific production traits e.g. improved milk production in dairy cows; decreased fat deposition in pigs. Other areas have focused on selecting for improved fertility, disease resistance, survivability and product quality. As a general rule of thumb, traits that have been focused on are those that can be measured such as speed, litter size/reproductive performance and growth rate. More recently there has been more thought given towards selection for increased adaptability. Some of this shift in focus has come about due to increasing environmental pressures on populations, including companion, production and wildlife species. This has come about for a couple of reasons, but a central aspect is associated with the demands conflicting with increasing climate challenges due to climate change. In this context wildlife species are also under growing stress due to habitat changes from the pressures of changing environments, and adaptive changes have already been documented. Essentially, this means that there has been a shift towards selecting animals to focus on those that are able to tolerate various stressors. For this assessment you are to undertake a review of the literature in the area of “the genetics of adaptation” with a focus on a specific animal and a specific stressor.
Credibility & References
Whilst you may not enjoy spending your valuable time in the literature, it is essential that you will read and use peer-reviewed scientific literature from reputable sources. These days in the online world access to scientific literature has never been easier, so take a look in the literature to help you decide on the topic you wish to investigate. Many of you will start asking about how many references are expected, there is no set limit, you need as many references as you need to complete the task on the topic you have selected. However, you have 2000-2500 words to cover, so it would be anticipated that roughly 20-30 references could be used, although this will be associated with the topic being discussed.
General Formatting and Communication
Your literature review must be typed, double-spaced, font size 12, in Australian (British) English and neatly presented. Communicating your thoughts in a concise and grammatically correct manner is essential to any written document, here at The University of Queensland or outside this institution. You may find the presentation of data in the form of tables and figures useful. Where tables and figures are used they must to be labelled and referred to within your review - remember that table headings are to be placed above tables and figure headings below figures.
Summary of expectations
- Words: 2000-2500 minimum (excluding references).
- Reference Style: Journal of Animal Science
- All pages are to be numbered.
- Spacing and Font size: 1.5 line spacing, 12 size font.
- Tables and Figures need to be discussed and referenced in the text of the report.
- Tables and Figures need to be numbered in sequence, and have a title.
- Australian English
A more comprehensive guideline will be provided to you on BlackBoard and an information searching workshop will occur as a part of the tutorial series.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
You must submit your Assessment task, in Blackboard, via the Turnitin link by the submission deadline. You should also retain an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit.
Legal Declaration:
By submitting your work via this website, you formally declare that (1) it is your own original work, and no part of the work has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made; (2) no part of the work has been previously submitted for assessment in this or any other institution; and (3) you have read the Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy (https://policies.uq.edu.au/document/view-current.php?id=149) and understand its implications.
Results: Students will be able to access results on the course Blackboard site and feedback for this assessment item will be available on the student's submission.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Extensions must be approved through the standard administrative process, with appropriate evidence per UQs policies and procedures.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL).
Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard before the due date of the assessment item.
Sequential Quizzes
- Online
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Quiz
- Weight
- 20% (4 x 5% each)
- Due date
Quiz 1. Systems 20/03/2025 - 21/03/2025
Quiz 2. Mendelian inheritance 27/03/2025 - 28/03/2025
Quiz 3. Breeding Objective, Inbreeding and Heritability 17/04/2025 - 18/04/2025
Quiz 4. Heterosis and Hybrid Vigour 22/05/2025 - 23/05/2025
Sequential Quiz will be open for 28 hours. This sequential quiz will open on Thursday at 1300 h and close at 1700 h on the Friday.
Task description
General Information
Students will complete a series of sequential tutorial quizzes throughout the semester. These quizzes include multiple-choice questions focused on problem-solving, as well as short-response questions that require critical thinking and analysis to determine the correct answers. Each quiz will be open for a 28-hour period, during which students must complete it. Each sequential quiz will open on Thursday at 1300 h and close at 1700 h on the Friday.
In total there are four (4) sequential quizzes that you will be submitting for assessment - each one will be worth 5%, thus contributing 20% of your overall grade for ANIM3046. Quizzes must be undertaken and submitted via the correct link provided on BlackBoard.
Quiz 1. This quiz will cover content from Tutorial 2 Systems Analysis. You will be provided with five (5) questions from a pool of questions related to content provided during Tutorial 2. Please note that the questions will come from a question pool and will be randomly generated for each student. The question pool will not be made available to you, however Tutorial 2 is designed to prepare you to undertake this Sequential Quiz.
Quiz 2. This quiz will cover content from Tutorial 3 Mendelian inheritance. You will be provided with five (5) questions from a pool of questions related to content provided during Tutorial 3. Please note that the questions will come from a question pool and will be randomly generated for each student. The question pool will not be made available to you, however Tutorial 3 is designed to prepare you to undertake this Sequential Quiz.
Quiz 3. This quiz will cover content from Tutorial 5 The Breeding Objective, Inbreeding and Heritability. You will be provided with five (5) questions from a pool of questions related to content provided during Tutorial 5. Please note that the questions will come from a question pool and will be randomly generated for each student. The question pool will not be made available to you, however Tutorial 5 is designed to prepare you to undertake this Sequential Quiz.
Quiz 4. This quiz will cover content from Tutorial 8 Heterosis and Hybrid Vigour. You will be provided with five (5) questions from a pool of questions related to content provided during Tutorial 8. Please note that the questions will come from a question pool and will be randomly generated for each student. The question pool will not be made available to you, however Tutorial 8 is designed to prepare you to undertake this Sequential Quiz.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
Quizzes must be undertaken and submitted via the correct link available on the course BlackBoard site.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Extensions must be approved through the standard administrative process, with appropriate evidence per UQs policies and procedures.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL).
Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard before the due date of the assessment item.
End Semester Exam
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 50%
- Due date
End of Semester Exam Period
7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025
Task description
The exam will cover all aspects of the course: Lectures, tutorials, assignment and set readings. The exam will be a two-hour written examination with problem solving and short answer questions and will be similar in format to previous years.
Have your UQ student ID card available for all your exams. Students enrolled in External delivery must attend the exam in-person, either on campus OR at an approved off-campus exam venue as organised through UQ Examinations and listed on your personalised exam timetable.
Permitted Materials
This examination is a Closed Book Examination where consideration for Specified Materials has been permitted. For this examination you are allowed to take a unmarked bilingual dictionary as the other specified allowed materials and you will require the use of a calculator.
Calculators
Except for the Casio fx-82 series, all calculators used in an exam must now have an ‘Approved’ label attached. The Approved calculators’ list can be found at – https://my.uq.edu.au/services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/sitting-exam/approved-calculators Your options are: (i) Buy a Casio fx-82 series calculator, which does not require a label, or (ii) Take your calculator to the Student Centre for an approval sticker. To find out more visit: http://www.uq.edu.au/myadvisor/exam-calculators
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Hurdle requirements
Students must obtain a passing grade on this examination in order to pass this course.Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Calculator options | (In person) Casio FX82 series only or UQ approved and labelled calculator |
| Open/closed book | Closed Book examination - specified written materials permitted |
| Materials | unmarked bilingual dictionary |
| Exam platform | Paper based |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 34 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 0 - 34% |
| 2 (Fail) | 35 - 46 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 35 - 46% |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: A cumulative score of 47% - 49% for all progressive assessment; OR A cumulative score of 50% or greater for all assessmentﾠAND less than a passing mark in the End of Semester exam. |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score of 50% - 64% for all assessment itemsﾠAND a passing mark in the End of Semester exam. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score of 65% - 74% for all assessment itemsﾠAND a passing mark in the End of Semester examination. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score of 75% - 84% for all assessment itemsﾠAND a passing mark in the End of Semester examination. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score of 85% - 100% for all assessment itemsﾠAND a passing mark in the End of Semester examination. |
Additional course grading information
Students must pass the end of semester exam in order to pass the course.ﾠIf a student obtains an overall percentage greater than the cut-offs set to achieve a 4 or higher for the course based on marks from a combination of progressive assessment and the final exam and the student does NOT score a passing grade in the final exam, they are unable to achieve a grade higher than a 3 (failing grade) for the course.ﾠ
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply.
Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.
If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.
Supplementary assessment can take any form (such as a written report, oral presentation, examination or other appropriate assessment) and may test specific learning outcomes tailored to the individual student, or all learning outcomes.
To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment.
Additional assessment information
Please note the following when writing assignments
You must not re-use past work from previous assessments in your assignments.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
All reported work must be done by the individual student. Assignments that look and sound alike will be reported as plagiarism – a serious offence at UQ. Please note the university’s policy on academic integrity and plagiarism which can be accessed at Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy / Document / Policy and Procedure Library
Turnitin
Assignments that are required to be submitted through TurnItIn, must only be uploaded to the assessment specific Turnitin link on the relevant course Blackboard site. If you submit any version of your assessment item to any alternative Turnitin link, this is considered cheating, and you will be held liable for this action.
Release of marks
Unless specifically indicated by the lecturer involved,ﾠevery attempt will be made to haveﾠthe results for progressive assessment tasks available within 3 weeks of submission. For items of assessment submitted in the last 2 weeks of the semester, the results will be available before the day of your end of semester examination in the course, unless otherwise indicated by the Course Coordinator. Results and feedback availability will be provided to you via the course Blackboard site.
Feedback in this course
Feedback is welcome in this course as any information on how students find this learning experience is constructive.
Please use the evaluation form provided to you at the end of semester - or if you are enrolled internally, a course evaluation process will occur in the last few weeks of semester.
Re-mark Applications – refer to theﾠUniversity's Re-mark Policyﾠto check your eligibility
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Other course materials
If we've listed something under further requirement, you'll need to provide your own.
Required
| Item | Description | Further Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| ANIM3046 Blackboard site | http://learn.uq.edu.au/ |
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (24 Feb - 02 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 1. Introduction animal breeding and genetics An introduction to animal breeding and genetics. A history of animal breeding will be covered and builds foundational concepts of population management. |
Week 2 (03 Mar - 09 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 2. The ethics of animal breeding Critical thinking about the ethical implications of animal breeding. |
Tutorial |
Week 2. Tutorial 1. Information Searching Information Searching and Preparing Literature Reviews |
|
Week 3 (10 Mar - 16 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 3. Domestication Developing an understanding of inbreeding, breed development and domestication |
Tutorial |
Week 3. Tutorial 2. Systems Analysis An introduction to understanding and evaluating systems for animal breeding. At the completion of this activity students will be able to understand breeding goals and evaluating 'best' animals within populations. |
|
Week 4 (17 Mar - 23 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 4. What drives gene inheritance Discussing Mendelian genetics, variations to Mendelian Inheritance and an introduction to epigenetics. |
Tutorial |
Week 4. Tutorial 3. Mendelian Inheritance An introduction to Mendelian Inheritance. At the completion of this activity students will be able to use Mendelian theory to determine gene inheritance and phenotypic expression. |
|
Week 5 (24 Mar - 30 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 5. What defines a species Understanding how species are defined. |
Week 6 (31 Mar - 06 Apr) |
Lecture |
Week 6. Genetics and Genetic Diversity Understanding genetic diversity in populations |
Week 7 (07 Apr - 13 Apr) |
Lecture |
Week 7. Population genetics Heritability will also be covered here. Building foundational aspects to evaluating population genetics. |
Tutorial |
Week 7. Tutorial 4. The Hardy Weinberg Equation Using the Hardy Weinberg Equation and its use in determining gene and genotypic frequency in populations. |
|
Week 8 (14 Apr - 20 Apr) |
Lecture |
Week 8. Population Statistics Quantitative Genetics, The Genetic Model, the Statistics of Quantitative Genetics. |
Tutorial |
Week 8. Tutorial 5. The Breeding Objective, Inbreeding and heritability Defining breeding goals to determine the 'best' animals within populations. Using animal information to calculate inbreeding coefficients. |
|
Mid-sem break (21 Apr - 27 Apr) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
IN-SEMESTER BREAK No teaching activities in this week. |
Week 9 (28 Apr - 04 May) |
Not Timetabled |
Week 9. BSc NO CONTACT WEEK No formal teaching activities are scheduled for this week to meet the requirements of the Bachelor of Science no teach week. If you are not participating in classes this week, please use this time to catch up on any outstanding work. |
Week 10 (05 May - 11 May) |
Lecture |
Week 10. Selection & Genetic Progress Understanding the impact of selection on genetic progress. |
Tutorial |
Week 10. Tutorial 6. Key Equation I Calculate heritability and an introduction to the Key Equation. |
|
Week 11 (12 May - 18 May) |
Lecture |
Week 11. Molecular approaches and Gene Technology A summary of Molecular approaches and Gene Technology for use in animal breeding. |
Tutorial |
Week 11. Tutorial 7. Key Equation II and EBVs Become familiar and confident with using the Key Equation. |
|
Week 12 (19 May - 25 May) |
Lecture |
Week 12. Breeding strategies Using breeding strategies to manage populations. |
Tutorial |
Week 12. Tutorial 8. Heterosis and Hybrid Vigour Understand and calculate Heterosis and Hybrid Vigour. |
|
Week 13 (26 May - 01 Jun) |
Lecture |
Week 13. Managing Populations In this series a deeper look into inbreeding will occur and then investigating the management of captive and free roaming wildlife populations. |
Tutorial |
Week 13. Tutorial 9. Revision & Exam Preparation A final tutorial session designed to prepare you for the final examination for ANIM3046. |
|
Revision week (02 Jun - 08 Jun) |
Not Timetabled |
Revision period |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.