Offer of topic for Bachelor’s or Master’s Thesis

Offer of topic for Bachelor’s or Master’s Thesis (Ligula intestinalis)

 We offer a Bachelor or Master thesis topic focused on genomic analysis of speciation, using the parasitic tapeworm Ligula intestinalis, a well-established model system with a complex life cycle involving multiple hosts (copepods, fish, and birds). In its fish host, where the parasite spends most of its life, it experiences strong host-specific selective pressures, making it an ideal system to study how adaptation to different hosts can drive evolutionary divergence. The thesis will investigate how parasite populations associated with different fish species diverge genetically and how ecological speciation can occur even in the presence of ongoing gene flow, as demonstrated by recent genome-wide SNP analyses.
        The student will work with population genomic data (SNP datasets), gaining hands-on experience in basic bioinformatics, data handling, and evolutionary analyses such as population structure and genetic differentiation. Through this project, the student will develop a solid understanding of key concepts, including host specificity, adaptation, gene flow, and speciation, while also building practical, transferable skills in genomics and evolutionary biology that are highly relevant to future research or practical laboratory careers.

More info: Masoud Nazarizadeh (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), Jan Štefka (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)