- Docente: Elena Fabbri
- Credits: 6
- SSD: BIO/09
- Language: English
- Moduli: Elena Fabbri (Modulo 1) Andrea Pasteris (Modulo 2)
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures (Modulo 1) Traditional lectures (Modulo 2)
- Campus: Ravenna
- Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Environmental Assessment and Management (cod. 8418)
Learning outcomes
The course will focus on the environmental strategies adoptable to assess the potential impacts of pollution on the marine coasts, also addressing emerging pollutants and new conditions generated by global change, and the interactions between the marine environment and human health. The students will learn about: main contaminants and source of discharge; impacts on animal health status and threats to human health; principles of the environmental quality assessment, using biological methods. Through the analysis of case studies and guidelines, the course will also provide knowledge on integrated monitoring plans applied at the national and international levels. Skills will be developed in the definition of bioassessment strategies and application of statistical methods for result interpretation.
Course contents
Principles of organism-environment interaction; emerging contaminants (endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals, plastics); main effects of contaminants on marine organisms. Action mechanisms at different levels of biological complexity; effects and action mechanisms of endocrine disruptors; contaminant effects on main physiological functions. The biomarkers as early warnings of environmental quality alteration. Toxicity tests as tools for chemical risk assessment and for biomonitoring. In situ biological assemblages as indicators of ecosystem integrity. Weight of evidence approaches, integration of different lines of evidence. Environmental biomonitoring according to international guidelines. All topics will be illustrated through the analysis of case studies.
Readings/Bibliography
Scientific papers, reports and international guidelines on the application and improvements of strategies for environmental biomonitoring and environmental and health risk evaluation.
Teaching methods
Frontal lessons and discussion of scientific papers
Assessment methods
The final examination wants to evaluate that students met the teaching objectives: organism-environment interaction; environmental contamination; main effects of contaminants on humans and wildlife; action mechanisms at different levels of biological complexity; effects of endocrine disruptors; contaminant effects on main physiological functions. Environmental biomonitoring. Evaluation of health and environmental risk. The exam (written) deals with three specific questions on different topics in a pertinent and synthetic manner; a second question will be on the practical activities in the laboratory; one of them will be on planning an environmental bioassessment or biomonitoring
Teaching tools
Power point slides, scientific papers
Office hours
See the website of Elena Fabbri
See the website of Andrea Pasteris