500371 - ANIMAL BIOLOGY - MOD.

courses

ID:

500371

Duration (hours):

58

CFU:

SSD:

ZOOLOGIA

Year:

2025

Date/time interval

Primo Semestre (01/10/2025 - 16/01/2026)

Course Objectives

At the end of the course the student should know: the Biological Theories on the Evolution and its mechanisms. The fundamental structural characteristics of animal organisms. The reproductive modes and development The animal phylogeny, the fundamentals of the Zoological Systematics and nomenclature rules The basic concepts of Zoogeography. The students must understand: The relationship between structure and function in animals. The Importance of Biodiversity, The complexity of interactions within and between species and with the environment. The students should know to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the course of Evolutionary and General Zoology to the classification of animal organisms and to the analysis of macro- and micro evolutionary phenomena and their mechanisms.

Course Prerequisites

NONE

Teaching Methods

The course of Animal Biology is divided into 2 integrated modules: Evolutionary and General Zoology and Cytology and Histology. The Evolutionary Zoology course is divided into classroom lessons, classroom exercises and excursions to naturalistic areas, museums and aquariums. The teachers are available during office hours and in the classroom for clarification on the topics covered in class.

Inclusive teaching: for students who cannot follow the teaching activities in person (i.e. those who certify that they are in one of the conditions envisaged by the University) the teachers provide, upon request, video recordings relating to the topics covered in the course and guarantee the availability of two hours per week of online reception during the course of the lessons

Assessment Methods

The exam is written and will focus on the topics covered in class in the two forms in which the course is divided. The student must demonstrate that they have reached the educational objectives of the course. The final grade will be the weighted average of the vote in Evolutionary and General Zoology module and that of the Cytology and Histology module. Specifically, the written examination of Evolutionary and General Zoology lasts 90 minutes and includes 11 questions, including one open and 10 semi-open, with selection of the right cross and explanation of the answer given

Texts

Hickman, Roberts, Keen, Eisenhour, Larson, l'Anson. ZOOLOGY. 16th or 18th Edition. McGraw-Hill. € 87.

Zoology as part of Biology; Principles of Science. The origin of life and its principles. fundamental property of life; organic structures of living systems; chemical evolution, origin of living systems; Precambrian life; Prokaryotes and eukaryotes; The big tree of life.
Reproduction and sexuality. Modes of asexual (agamic) reproduction, Mitosis. Sexuality in prokaryotes and protists. Mode of sexual (gamic) reproduction in Metazoa: amphigony, hermaphroditism, parthenogenesis, gynogenesis. Evolution of sex and its significance. Meiosis and life cycle, alternation of generations. Male and female gametogenesis, types of gametes, evolution of anisogamy. sex determination. Fertilization and its modalities.
Evolution of animal diversity. Pre-Darwinian evolutionary ideas. The theory of Darwin and Wallace. The modern synthesis and evidence of evolution. Deterministic and stochastic evolutionary forces: natural selection, sexual selection, mutations, genetic drift. Timing and mode of evolution. Convergent and parallel evolution, mosaic evolution, reticulate evolution. Macro- and micro-evolution. Speciation models
Architecture of the animals in relation to the environment. Support, protection and movement. Symmetry. homeostasis
Classification and phylogeny of animals. The kingdoms Animalia and Protista, the features of the main Phila. Sort of diversity in a natural hierarchy; Linnaeus and the development of the classification. Traditional evolutionary taxonomy. Phylogenetic systematics or cladistics. Taxonomic categories and zoological nomenclature rules. Species concepts.
Concepts of Zoogeography. Continental drift and zoogeographic regions. historical and recent distribution of animals. Migrations, invasions, introductions. Origin of the Italian Fauna. Endemisms.