B016083 - ZOOLOGY AND LABORATORY

Italian

Italian

The theory of evolution by natural selection as the basis of modern biology. Origin and evolution of eukaryotes and phylogeny of Opisthokonta and Animalia (Metazoans). Evolution of reproductive systems and embryonic development. Taxonomic and phylogenetic approaches in zoology. Phylogeny and ecology of unicellular eukaryotes. Characteristics of the main Phyla of Protostomes and Deuterostomes, excluding Vertebrates.

Theory of evolution by natural selection as the basis of modern biology. Origin of life, evolution of eukaryotes and levels of organization in the Metazoans. Methods of classification and phylogeny of living organisms. Classification, morphology and ecology of unicellular eukaryotes. Asexual and sexual reproduction and embryonic development in Metazoans. Characteristics of the main Phyla of Metazoi Protostomes and invertebrate Deuterostomes.

Hickman. Integrated Principles of Zoology (from the 16th edition). McGraw-Hill Education

Cleveland P. Hickman, Susan L. Keen, David J. Eisenhour, Allan Larson, Helen Lanson, Vincenzo Arizza, Olimpia Cappellotti, Laura Guidolin, Zoologia, MGH 2020

Maurizio Casiraghi, Magda de Eguileor, Carlo Cerrano, Stefania Puce, Zoologia, Utet Università 2018

Knowledge. Students will acquire knowledge about the main groups of living invertebrates and their adaptations to the environment and about the diversity of animals in relation to such environments. They will learn the comparative morphology and physiology of different animal groups, their reproductive characteristics and life cycles, as well as their ecology and behaviour.

Acquired Competences. They will learn to know and critically discuss the topics related to study of animals, both in their living environment and in the laboratory. They will approach the study of animal evolution, setting the various evolutionary theories in their historical contexts and will gather the current scientific knowledge. The teaching approach of the course is the focus on the environment in which the animals live and to which it is adapted and their evolutionary constraints.

Skills and competences. Acquisition and use of appropriate zoological language; reading of evolutionary trees concerning Metazoans; use of dichotomous tables for the classification of animals; reading of graphs applied to zoology;
Capacity for autonomous study relative to zoological and evolutionary problems; capacity for in-depth study and development of themes dealt with in the course; capacity to classify invertebrate animals at the different levels: phylum, class, order, family, genus and species; capacity to contextualise knowledge relative to the different zoological groups in the environment; formulation of scientific hypotheses; interpretation of experimental data in the verification of hypotheses.

To provide the basic knowledge of biology and general zoology and the knowledge of the main taxa of invertebrates

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None

Lectures and laboratory practicals

Lectures

Final exam, written essays

Oral examination

BASICS OF ZOOLOGY. The modern classification of eukaryotic organisms; the polyphyletic origin of protozoa, Opisthokonta and Animalia. The eukaryotic cell and the evolutionary theories about its origin.
Asexual reproduction: various kinds of splitting and budding. Sexual reproduction: gonochoric and hermaphroditic organisms. Characteristics of hermaphroditism and its evolutionary advantages/disadvantages with respect to gametogenesis. Parthenogenesis: characteristics and modalities. Internal and external fertilisation. The various types of sex determination. Oviparity, ovoviviparity viviparity. The evolutionary theories explaining the emergence of sexual reproduction. Egg types and modes of segmentation: holoblastic and meroblastic; radial, spiral, bilateral segmentations. Determinate and indeterminate cleavage. Blastula, gastrulation modes and germ layers. Diploblastic and triploblastic organisms. Development in protostomes and deuterostomes: fate of the blastopore, formation of mesoderm by enterocoely and schizocoely.
Taxonomy and systematics. Charles R. Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. Main drives of genetic variability. The biological concept of species. Speciation Mechanisms. Principles of morphological and molecular phylogenetics and phylogeny. Types of evolutionary trees, monophyletic, paraphyletic and polyphyletic groups: homologies and analogies.

PROTOZOANS (which do NOT exist). Evolution of eukaryotic life forms. Evolutionary relationships between the various groups of unicellular eukaryotes (="protozoa") and metazoans. General characteristics of unicellular eukaryotic organisms. Special characteristics of Excavata (including the parasite cycle of the genus Trypanosoma), Chromalveolata (in particular, Dinoflagellata, Ciliata and the parasite cycle of the genus Plasmodium), Amoebozoa and Rhizaria (in particular, Radiolaria and Foraminifera).

METAZOANS. Recent proposals for classification on a molecular basis: monophyletic origin of metazoans.
Ctenophores.
Porifera and their evolution.
Cnidarians: Hydrozoa, Anthozoa, Scyphozoa and Cubozoa.
General characteristics of the Bilateria. Plathelminths: Turbellaria; Digenea Trematodes; Cestodes.
Trochozoa: Nemertea, Mollusca and Annelida.
Molluscs: the hypothetical ancestral mollusc. Molluscs’ radiation and comparative morphology: evolution of the shell, foot and radula in the different classes. Polyplacophora. Gasteropoda: torsion and its consequences. Bivalvia and Scaphopoda. Cephalopoda: Nautiloidea and Coleoidea.
Annelids and metamerism: Polychaetes, Oligochaetes, Hirudinea.
Ecdysozoa: Panarthropoda and Nematodes. Panarthropoda: Onychophora, Tardigrada and Arthropoda. Phylogeny and common characteristics of Arthropoda: cuticle, articulated limbs and general anatomy.
Chelicerata: Pycnogonidae, Xiphosura, and Arachnidae.
Myriapoda: general characteristics and evolutionary trends of Diplopoda, Chilopoda, Symphyla and Pauropoda.
Pancrustacea: Crustacea and Hexapoda. Crustacea: general characteristics, biology and evolution. Malacostraca: Stomatopods, Decapods, Isopods, Amphipods. Adaptations to terrestrial life.
Special characteristics of Hexapoda (=insects): wings, flight and terrestrialisation. Ametabolic, hemimetabolic and holometabolic development and cycles. Classification of hexapods and main orders.
Free-living nematodes and parasites of humans.
Common characteristics to the Deuterostomia: phylogenetic relationships between Hemichordata and Echinodermata. Haemichordata: Enteropneusta and Pterobranchia.
Echinoderms: water vascular system, ambulacral pedicels and fate of coeloms. Crinoidea, Asteroidea, Ophiuroidea, Echinoidea, Oloturoidea.
Chordata (excluding Vertebrates): Urochordata and Cephalochordata.

Theory of evolution by natural selection as the basis of modern biology. Origin of life, evolution of eukaryotes and levels of organization in the Metazoans. Methods of classification and phylogeny of living organisms. Classification, morphology and ecology of unicellular eukaryotes (the 'Protists'). Asexual and sexual reproduction and embryonic development in Metazoans. Organizational plans, morphology and systematics, with hints of ecology and behavior, of the main Phyla of Metazoi: Porifera, Cnidari, Ctenophores, Protostomes (Platelminti, Rotifers, Nematodes, Mollusks, Annelids, Lofophorates (Foronidae, Brachiopods, Bryozoans), Onardigradors) , Arthropods (Chelicerates, Myriapods, Crustaceans, Hexapods)) and Deuterostomes excluding vertebrates (Echinoderms, Tunicates).

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