Educational offer - University of Padova

Information on the course unit

Degree course	Second cycle degree in MARINE BIOLOGY IF0360, Degree course structure A.Y. 2013/14, A.Y. 2019/20	bring this page with you
Number of ECTS credits allocated	8.0
Type of assessment	Mark
Course unit English denomination	BIODIVERSITY AND BEHAVIOUR
Website of the academic structure	http://biologia.scienze.unipd.it/2019/laurea_magistrale_biologiamarina
Department of reference	Department of Biology
Mandatory attendance	Sì
Language of instruction	English
Branch	CHIOGGIA (VE)
Single Course unit	The Course unit can be attended under the option Single Course unit attendance
Optional Course unit	The Course unit can be chosen as Optional Course unit

Syllabus

Prerequisites:	To successfully follow this course, it is desirable that the student has taken courses in ecology, and in particular in marine ecology, at different levels (population, community).
Target skills and knowledge:	The course aims to address the issues of biodiversity, a widely used and popular term, though often not entirely understood, and animal behaviour. Evolution plays a key role in maintaining biodiversity and for this reason the focus of this course will be the role of ecological pressures on the morphology and behaviour of marine animals. At the end of the course, the students will have improved their knowledge in marine ecology and the behaviour of marine species. Moreover, the students will have gained a critical approach to successfully operate in the study and preservation of biodiversity.
Examination methods:	The evaluation is a written test consisting of three open questions.
Assessment criteria:	The first two questions will focus on two general topics. These questions will allow evaluation of the theoretical training of the students. The third question will be focused on a case study. This question will allow evaluation of the student’s analytical and critical skills, using the acquired theoretical instruments.
Course unit contents:	Biodiversity: the concept of biodiversity, the diversity of organisms and the ecological systems in which they live. The key role of evolution in shaping biodiversity. Ecological pressures on the morphology and behaviour of marine species. Morphological and behavioural adaptations to different marine habitats (pelagic, benthic, abyssal, intertidal). Biodiversity as the web of complex interrelationships between organisms, the contribution of the study of animal behaviour to understanding the concept of biodiversity. The study of reproductive behaviour, parental care, mimicry and social life, using the most modern concepts of behavioural ecology. Anthropic pressures on marine species and marine habitats. Anthropic impacts on marine species behaviour.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods:	The course is comprised of lectures and practical lessons. Lectures will provide the theoretical background on biodiversity, ecology and behavior of marine species. Practical lessons will allow the direct application of the theoretical topics to different case study. Students will collect data or use data already available. The practical lessons will take place in the teaching laboratory, where students will collect morphological data on samples of marine species, and in the computer room, where data will be analysed using different softwares. A final practical lesson will be devoted to the analyses of data, both collected by students and provided by the teacher, applying modern methods of comparative analyses to study the evolution of biodiversity.
Additional notes about suggested reading:	There are no books covering all the topics of the course. However, the suggested books provide supporting materials. All the slides together with the general and specific papers will be available in the elearning platform.
Textbooks (and optional supplementary readings)	Nicholas B. Davies, John R. Krebs, Stuart A. West, An Introduction to Behavioural Ecology, 4th Edition. --: Wiley-Blackwell, 2002.