510375 - ETHOLOGY APPLIED TO CONSERVATION

courses

ID:

510375

Duration (hours):

60

CFU:

SSD:

ZOOLOGIA

Year:

2025

Date/time interval

Secondo Semestre (02/03/2026 - 12/06/2026)

Course Objectives

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to discuss the concepts of conservation biology, applying them in zoological and ethological fields. He/she will also be able to describe the main tools used in these areas with particular reference to monitoring and data collection techniques necessary for the design of conservation actions. Finally, the student will be able to propose a research project with conservation purposes. Such projects will, in all their phases, conform to the principles of a correct scientific method. The student will then be able to: acquire documentation on a topic relevant to conservation and ethology; identify a problem or gap in current knowledge; formulate hypotheses and the resulting predictions; propose data collection and data analysis techniques suitable for verifying the predictions; communicate the project and the expected results.

Course Prerequisites

The students attending the course are expected to have already acquired basics knowledge in Zoology, Ecology and Ethology, particularly on the following topics: classification, morphology, functions, natural selection sexual selection, reproductive modes, biotic and abiotic interactions, species and populations, communities and ecosystems, behavioral development, communication.

Teaching Methods

The course includes both lectures and field activities and laboratories. Lectures address both theoretical and practical aspects of each topic, with several examples and case studies related to applied ethological research, wildlife monitoring, and management and conservation projects carried out in recent years on particularly threatened groups. Seminars on specific methods and taxonomic groups are also provided by experts in the field. Frontal lectures are generally carried out with the aid of presentations (e.g., power point) but also involve the active involvement of students, both individually and in groups, in activities to elaborate on the concepts presented, including through the use of multimedia tools. The course is also characterized by a strong practical connotation, with active participation pf the student in the proposed field activities on several vertebrate groups and in the preparation of a research project in the field of behavior and conservation that will be discussed at the end of the course. In addition to the planned three-day period in the Gran Paradiso National Park, educational field trips are planned to some areas of the Ticino Park to experiment the data collection methods explained in the frontal lectures. In addition, exercises are planned that actively involve the student in the collection and analysis of behavioral data.

Inclusive teaching: For students who are unable to attend in-person teaching activities (i.e., those who certify that they are in one of the conditions stipulated by the University), lecturers will provide, upon request, video recordings related to the topics covered in the course and guarantee the availability of two hours per week of online reception during the period of the lectures. Lecturers also make themselves available to facilitate participation in hands-on activities similar to those proposed during the laboratories, particularly during activities normally included in their own research activities (if students request this and are available at times compatible with field research activities).

Assessment Methods

The exam consists of two tests of learning. The first test involves a written examination on the more general content of the course. The second part consists of a discussion of the research project prepared by the student during the course (or at another time for students who cannot attend the in-person teaching activities; such students will also have the opportunity to take advantage of the support of a tutor). Both tests will be carried out on the same day.

Texts

Conservation Behavior – Applying Behavioral Ecology to Wild Conservation and Management. Oded Berger-Tal & David S Conservation Biology N. 21. Cambridge University Press, UK, 2016. ISBN 9781107040106.
Minutes related to the various topics covered will also be provided by the lecturers. On UNIPV's KIRO e-learning page, pdf versions of all the presentations used for the lectures will also be provided, as well as bibliographic materials useful for further study of the topics covered and for preparing the research project to be presented at the end of the course.

This course develops the concepts of conservation biology and ethology applied in zoology, with a particular focus on scientific research and methods for carrying it out rigorously and correctly. Topics are covered starting with a general overview and proceeding with in-depth discussions and practical examples. In addition, the student is provided with detailed information to understand what the possible anthropogenic impacts on animal behavior are and the implications on conservation and management, as well as how knowledge about animal behavior can be a useful tool for conservation. In the first part of the course, issues related to the integration of the disciplines of ethology and wildlife conservation are addressed. Concepts related to behavioral ecology and anthropogenic impacts are then recalled, with implications for management and conservation of target groups. The second part of the course includes instead lectures and hands-on workshops related to sampling methods, monitoring techniques, ethological methodology and behavioral indicators on different taxonomic groups, with a focus on the proper way to conduct scientific research in this area. Several field trips are planned and, in particular, a three-day excursion at the Gran Paradiso National Park in which the student actively participates in field data collection, independently and in groups.