PRINCIPLES OF ANIMAL AND PLANT BIOLOGY - ANIMAL MODULE

This course belongs to the disciplinary groups of biological and ecological sciences and it is one of the basic training activities of the Bachelor Degree in Environmental Sciences. In relation to the training activities characterising the degree class 32, the Graduate in Environmental Sciences should possess an environmental systemic culture and a good practice of the scientific method in analysing components, processes and problems related both to the natural and human impacted Environment. Being the biological diversity a central component of ecosystem functioning, the main goal of this course is to provide fundamental principles and conceptual background for the understanding of structural organisation, diversity and variability of living organisms, from the molecular and cell levels, until the population and species levels; together with the understanding of evolutionary processes. The present module will use the Animal Kingdom as a study model for the understanding of these processes.

1. Knowledge and understanding:
• Understanding of the relationships between structure and function in the analysis of living systems, with a particular focus on the animal Kngdom, from molecular and cell levels until organismic level.
• Understanding of principles, conceptual basis and mechanisms of genetics – classical genetics, molecular basis of heredity, population genetics
• Understanding of evolutionary processes, both microevolution – variability and evolution of populations – and macroevolution – variation and evolution of species (body plans, evolution of biodiversity)
2. Ability to apply knowledge
• Connecting structure and function in analysis living systems
• Applying fundamental principles in the analysis of genetic variability at molecular, individual and population levels
• Interpretation of evolutionary models

3. Judgement skills:
• Interpretation and critical analysis of the results of experimental analyses applied to living systems, on the basis of the knowledge of the scientific method
• Ability to correlate structure and function at the different levels of biological organisation
• Interpretation of phylogenetic trees and understanding of the relationships between history and adaptation in evolutionary processes.

Students should possess elements of basic math, capacity of abstraction and methodological rigor, that are evaluated by means of the national Test TOLC-I. These elements are perequisites required also for this course, that is focused on scientific disciplines, that adopt a descriptive, comparative and experimental method. Similarly, the knowledge of the English language, at least at B1 level, evaluated trough specific linguistic certifications and a linguistic Test provided by the University linguistic Centre, is fundamental for the analysis of the specialised literature. A basic biological culture, acquired in the high schools, could favour the learning process but it is not strictly required.

• History of Biology and Evolutionary thinking.
• Structure of animal eukaryotic cell. Mechanisms of cell reproduction.
• Sexual life cycles and meiosis.
• Mendelian genetics, and chromosomal basis of heredity.
• Molecular basis of heredity and protein synthesis.
• Darwinian view of life and modern evolutionary synthesis.
• Population genetics and microevolution.
• Biological concept of species, speciation and macroevolution.
• Reproduction, development and behaviour.
• Systematics and phylogeny. General trends in animal evolution.

Campbell N. A., Reece J. B. Biology 8th edition. Pearson education (2008)

The verification of learning will be assessed by means of a written test, consisting of three open questions. The open questions concern usually three main topics: 1) Structure of the eukaryotic, animal cell 2) Genetics 3) Evolutionary processes or biology of organisms. Students are requested to develop the three topics proposed with a synthetic and rigorous approach, using the correct biological terminology and eventually adding tables, illustrations and graphs. The three topics should be developed and completed within two hours.

During the course, exercise of Mendelian genetics and test with multiple answers are proposed to periodically verify the learning process and the assimilations of the main concepts.

The frontal lectures will use teaching modules (ppt slides), provided by means of the moodle platform. These modules contain the different topics of the course, provided as ppt slides. The slides contain pictures, tables, and illustrations aiming at analysis the biological problems, especially in terms of morphological and structural interpretation, in order then to understand the biological processes.

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This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Natural capital and environmental quality" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development