2017/2018

2019/2020

DM270

BIO/05 (ZOOLOGY)

DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

NATURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGIES

PERCORSO COMUNE

3°

1st semester (01/10/2019 - 15/01/2020)

6

54 lesson hours

Italian

WRITTEN TEST

MERIGGI ALBERTO (titolare) - 5 ECTS
SACCHI ROBERTO - 1 ECTS

The course is part of the basic training and preparation of students of the three-year degree in Science and Technology for Nature, in particular as regards the zoological part. Therefore it is necessary that the students have attended and acquired the knowledge in the following subjects: Animal biology (Evolutionary and general Zoology), Organic chemistry and Biochemistry (Biochemistry), Systematic Zoology, Genetics and Human Biology, Ecology, General Physiology.

At the end of the course the student will have to know the main aspects of animal behaviour and understand the proximate and remote causes of behaviour. In addition, the student must be able to apply the knowledge obtained to studies of ethological and eco-ethological type, being also able to set and plan simple ethological research on some species. The student must also be able to analyze, evaluate and explain animal behaviour by identifying hereditary aspects and the influence of the environment. Finally, at the end of the course the student will acquire the ability to communicate and explain in detail the topics covered in class using an appropriate language.

1) The history of ethology: an overview
2) Natural selection, environment and behaviour
3) Behaviour and hypothesis evaluation
4) Proximate (causal factors) and ultimate (functional factors) causes of behaviour
5) The development of behaviour: hereditary aspects
6) The development of behaviour: the influence of the environment
7) Costs and benefits of individual choices
8) Prey and predators
9) Evolution of feeding behaviour
10) Competition for resources
11) Habitat selection, migrations, territoriality
12) Living in groups
13) The structure of signals and the evolution of communication
14) Conflict between sexes and sexual selection
15) The evolution of mating systems, parental care and alternative reproductive strategies
16) The evolution of social behaviour

The course is mainly based on lectures held by the professors. The lectures on the various topics will consist of a theoretical part, accompanied by examples taken from recent literature, and by a more practical and applicative part where different case studies will be proposed as a deepening of the theoretical part. Students will also be offered the preparation of short in-depth reports on specific topics to be carried out in small groups according to the number of members. Seminars will also be held by external lecturers on specific topics. Field trips and practical exercises are planned. For the lectures, Power Point presentations will be used made available to students in the section dedicated to teaching on the KIRO moodle platform. Moreover on the KIRO platform scientific papers on the most recent ethological research will be available to students who wish to deepen.

In addition to studying the educational material provided on the KIRO platform, students are strongly encouraged to use the following texts:
Etologia. Un approccio evolutivo. J. Alckok. Ed. Zanichelli
Ecologia e comportamento animale. J.R. Krebs e N.B. Davies. Ed. Bollati Boringhieri

The level of learning will be verified through an individual oral exam. Typically, the exam will consist of two questions, the first of which is theoretical and of a general nature, and the second more detailed, concerning particular aspects of animal behaviour. In case of uncertainty in the judgment and in the attribution of the final grade, a third question will be asked to the student. Students are required to be able to frame and expose the topics covered by the exam questions in full and with language properties.

The level of learning will be verified through an individual oral exam. Typically, the exam will consist of two questions, the first of which is theoretical and of a general nature, and the second more detailed, concerning particular aspects of animal behaviour. In case of uncertainty in the judgment and in the attribution of the final grade, a third question will be asked to the student. Students are required to be able to frame and expose the topics covered by the exam questions in full and with language properties.