85320 - BIOLOGIA

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students will know the principles of Zoology and Taxonomy with particular reference to highly valuable species and will be able to recognize main aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates of aquaculture and fishery.

Course contents

1. Biology, general principles

1.1 Living organisms: prokaryota and eukaryote, autotrophic and heterotrophic. Definition of “Animal”. Principles of taxonomy: species concept, speciation, main systematic categories, binomial nomenclature. Principles of cellular biology: prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells, nucleic acids, DNA replication, cell replication: mitosis and meiosis, spermatogenesis and oogenesis, biological meaning of meiosis. Animal reproduction. Sexuate and asexuate processes, fecundation, embryogenesis, metagenesis, hermaphroditism, parthenogenesis, heterogony.

1.2 Marine Ecology, Principles: Necton, plankton, benthos and more basic concepts, food webs in marine environment. The Mediterranean Sea: hydro-geographic features, biodiversity and biogeography, tropicalization and meridionalization.

2. Zoology - Systematics of the main aquatic groups and their relevance for the economic and health sectors. Animal body architecture. Classification and phylogeny of animals. Porifera, Cnidaria, Ctenophorea, Mollusca, Anellida, Artropoda (with focus on Crustacea), Echinodermata. The Vertebrate origin: Chordata. Cartilaginous Fish, Bony Fish (with insights of the main orders). Amphibians, Marine Reptiles, Marine Birds and Marine Mammals.

3. Botany, Introduction - Structure of plant cell. Introduction to plant physiology. Classification of algae: general criteria. Rodophyta, Chlorophyta, Dynophyta, Bacillariophyta, Phaeophyta. Of each division will be processed morphology, reproductive mode, classification, ecology and economic and/or health importance.

 

Note: all species described belong to Italian fauna.

Readings/Bibliography

All teaching material (mainly ppt slides) is available online at https://iol.unibo.it

Recommended books (any edition):

• CLEVELAND, HICKMAN, ROBERTS, LARSON, L'ANSON - Fondamenti di zoologia - McGraw-Hill

• CLEVELAND, HICHMAN, ROBERTS, LARSON - Diversità animale - McGraw-Hill

Recommended atlas of Marine Fauna and Flora:

• Fauna e flora del Mediterraneo, di Rupert Riedl, Muzzio Ed.;
• Atlante della Fauna e Flora Marina dell'Adriatico nord-occidentale, di Attilio Rinaldi, Editrice la Mandragora;
• Guida della fauna marina costiera del Mediterraneo, di Wolfgang Luther e Kurt Fiedler, Muzzio Ed.;
• Fauna del Mediterraneo. Ediz. illustrata, di G. Nikiforos, Giunti ed.

Teaching methods

Teacher-led lessons, laboratory classes, visits to museums, interactive sessions.

During the laboratory classes it is advisable (but not necessary) to wear a lab coat. If necessary, disposable gloves will be provided.

All the activities proposed are equally important to pass the final exam.

Assessment methods

The final exam aims to assess the achievement of main learning outcomes, which are indicated in the first paragraph.

To this purpose, a multiple choice test consisting consisting in a total of 30 questions will be given.

In detail:

• 22 multiple choice questions about topics covered during lessons (Biology, Zoology, Botany). -0.2 to +1 points each.
  
• 1 open question covering the Biology part of the Course Contents (see above), to assess the students’ understanding of the basic principles of Biology and the ability to synthetize basic biological concepts. 0 to +3 points.
  
• 5 species identification and related classification. 0 to +1 points each.
  

The test is considered passed with at least 15 right answers in multiple choice and/or opern question parts and 3 correct identification/classification. Time available to complete the test: 1 hour.

An oral integration of 15/20 minutes may be requested by students to better define the final grade.

Teaching tools

Powerpoint presentations. Lectures will be supplemented by practical laboratory which purpose is to give the students the opportunity to observe the animals that have been described during the teacher-led lessons. Educational visit to Zoology museum.

Learning goals will be periodically tested by interactive learning supports.

Office hours

See the website of Ilaria Guarniero