Training: Introduction to Genetic Tools for Estimating Connectivity

The SEA-UNICORN WG1 Training school - “Introduction to genetic tools for estimating connectivity” was held online on 20 - 24th March 2023. The training was led by Pr Filip Volckaert (KU Leuven, Belgium) and Dr Marco Andrello (CNR, Italy) but also involved Dr Cécile Fauvelot (IRD, LOV, France) and Dr Pierre Alexandre Gagnaire (CNRS, ISEM, France).

During this 5-day school (15 hours, mornings only) the 25 participants (from 16 countries) were provided a general overview of genetic data, history, concepts (ecological and evolutionary connectivity), sampling approaches and tools, before diving deeper into the theory and data analysis methods associated with different genetic approaches used to estimate connectivity patterns. There were also some practical components using R and other commonly used software.

As the previous ones held by WG1, this training school was aimed at scientists working in the field of marine connectivity (but with limited or no experience in genetic techniques) in order to provide cross-disciplinary training to facilitate method integration and innovation.