BIOLOGY

Module GENERAL ZOOLOGY

 At the end of the lessons, students will be able to understand the position of animals among living beings and the main groupings of living organisms, to know the functional characteristics of animals such as excretion, sensory and motor systems, and reproduction. They will also be able to identify the fundamentals of evolutionary biology, including natural selection, evolution within populations, the concepts of species and speciation (allopatric and sympatric), neutral and selective processes, and macroevolution, with reference to fossils, evolutionary rates, and adaptive radiations. Finally, they will be able to recognise the evidence supporting evolution and its role as a unifying principle in biology. The aim is to acquire the ability to apply knowledge and understanding through the skill of reading and interpreting phylogenetic trees, applying "tree thinking" to the observed variation among living beings, and linking the concepts of form and function across different animal groups.

The teaching is organised into:

• Lectures: Supported by concept maps and learning objectives, which help summarize each lesson. You can request that the course be delivered entirely in English.
• Interactive teaching: Interactive quizzes will be used at the end of each lesson to assess learning and focus on key points.

No specific prerequisites are required. The course is designed to be accessible even to students without in-depth prior knowledge, as all fundamental concepts will be revisited during the lessons. Basic biological knowledge acquired during pre-university education can certainly be helpful.

The teaching comprises 7 CFU, of which 4 will be delivered by Prof. Fruciano and 3 by Prof. Vicari. These 3 CFU represent a total of 21 hours and, as established by the course of study, require mandatory attendance of at least 60% of the lessons throughout the entire duration of the course. 

Skeleton and muscles. Functions of the musculoskeletal system. Types of 'skeleton'. How muscles work and their neuronal control. Connecting the concepts of form and function across different animal groups.

Respiration. Physical-chemical principles of gas exchange. Respiratory systems and exchange structures. A comparative overview of respiratory systems.

Circulation. Circulatory systems. Efficiency of gas exchange. Physiological and environmental adaptations.

Excretion and osmoregulation. Principles of osmoregulation and body fluids. Osmotic strategies. Physiological adaptations for osmoregulation in invertebrates and vertebrates. Excretory systems in invertebrates and vertebrates. Nitrogenous waste products.

Reproduction. Asexual and sexual reproduction. Reproductive strategies: a comparison between protists and metazoans.

Classification of organisms and the concept of species. Carl Linnaeus and the first system of classification and binomial nomenclature. The taxonomic order of the classification system. Concepts of species. Ring species.

Microevolution. Mutations. Genetic drift. Gene flow. Natural selection.

Coevolution. Types of evolutionary interactions in coevolution. Cryptic colouration and form. Aposematic colouration and behaviour. Mimicry (Batesian, Müllerian, and aggressive mimicry).

Macroevolution and speciation. Reproductive barriers. Allopatric, sympatric, and parapatric speciation.

Macroevolution. Definition and distinction from microevolution. Continuity or discontinuity of the evolutionary process. Phyletic gradualism, punctuated equilibria, and punctuated gradualism. Evolutionary rates. Adaptive radiation. 

• Suggested texts:

• Educational material:

An optional intermediate written test is scheduled for students who have met the attendance threshold and covers part of the programme. Students who pass this test are exempted from the corresponding part of the oral exam. The final assessment is an oral exam and takes into account performance on the intermediate written test. In any case, as this is a course module, the Biology discipline committee carries out the final evaluation, which pertains to the entire subject. During the oral interview, the following will be assessed: the relevance and quality of the responses, the ability to connect different topics of the programme, the capacity to provide examples, mastery of disciplinary terminology, and overall presentation skills.

Learning assessment may also be carried out on-line, should the conditions require it.

 To ensure equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, interested students may request a personal interview in order to plan any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures based on educational objectives and specific needs. Students can also contact the CInAP (Centro per l'integrazione Attiva e Partecipata — Servizi per le Disabilità e/o i DSA) referring teacher within their department (https://www.cinap.unict.it/content/referenti).

•        Describe the potential problems and related general solutions when organisms are in hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic solutions.

•        Given a set of traits scored on three organisms, find out which are the most likely evolutionary relationships.

•        Allopatric and sympatric speciation: describe and compare them.