88164 - PHYSIOLOGY APPLIED TO THE ENVIRONMENT: POLLUTANT IMPACTS ON HUMAN HEALTH AND ECOSYSTEM

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

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.

Contenuti

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. Environmental biomonitoring according to international guidelines.

Testi/Bibliografia

.Scientific papers, report and international guidelines on the application and improvements of strategies for environmental biomonitoring and environmental and health risk evaluation

Metodi didattici

Frontal lessons and discussion of scientific papers

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

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

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Power point slides, scientific papers

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Elena Fabbri

Consulta il sito web di Andrea Pasteris