Uaeb Series I Plant Taxonomy Molecular Phylogenetics

This one-week course aims to introduce students to the taxonomic and molecular techniques utilized as a part of the toolkit of the modern botanist. This course includes lectures, a field trip and laboratory experiments, all of which will be held at the Singapore Botanic Gardens (SBG). Through the field trip, you will learn how a plant taxonomist uses morphological characters to classify species. For the laboratory aspect, you will learn how to perform DNA extraction and preparation of DNA libraries for high throughput sequencing. You will then assemble DNA markers to reconstruct a phylogenetic tree and, in combination with data on morphological traits, interpret your results and form conclusions regarding phylogenetic relationships between the species of interest.