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Degree Course in

Environmental Biology

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PLANT BIOINDICATORS AND ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION

Academic Year 2025/2026 - Teacher: MARTA MARIA PUGLISI

Expected Learning Outcomes

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES:

The course aims to provide students with the fundamental notions of aquatic and terrestrial plant biology in relation to environmental monitoring methods and to provide them with the appropriate means to carry out scientific research on applied botany.

 

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING ABILITY

The course aims to provide students with the ability to discuss and argue a botanical topic from a specialist point of view, based on the notions acquired during the lessons.

The student will be able to: know and understand the interactions of plants with the environment, the concept of biomonitoring for the evaluation of environmental quality, the potential of plants as bioindicators of the quality of air, water and soil; understand the role of plants in environmental monitoring; know the biology of plants in relation to environmental biomonitoring; know the main methods of biomonitoring of the different environmental matrices using lichens, bryophytes and algae.

 

ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:

Students will be able to apply the knowledge acquired for the correct use of aquatic and terrestrial plant species in environmental biomonitoring. They will acquire the ability to use biomonitoring methods in different environmental contexts, using standardized protocols. Through field activities and practical exercises in the laboratory, students will be able to acquire the ability to use bryological, lichenlogical and algological investigation techniques, and to process and interpret data. Students will be able to apply the theoretical-practical knowledge acquired during the course to identify and analyze environmental criticalities and apply the most suitable tools to carry out an environmental biomonitoring study using plants as bioindicator organisms.

 

JUDGMENT ABILITY

Through personal study of the topics covered, field and laboratory experiences, as well as the preparation of the paper, students will develop the ability to independently interpret the results obtained from an environmental biomonitoring study. In particular, students will develop critical and independent thinking regarding the importance of plant biodiversity also in relation to its use in environmental biomonitoring, pushing them to suggest sustainable methodologies for environmental recovery.

 

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Students will be able to clearly and master the skills they have acquired. Through the presentation of the paper, students will develop skills in communicating scientific topics learned using appropriate scientific terminology.

 

LEARNING SKILLS

Students will have the opportunity to learn a study method and organize the work to be done. They will be able to independently expand the skills acquired during the course, through access to bibliographic resources and other tools available online, to understand them and to transmit them. The acquisition of these skills will enable them to independently update their knowledge, using them for further levels of learning and for the preparation of the final exam.

Course Structure

Lectures and exercises in the laboratory and in the field.

Required Prerequisites

Knowledge of systematic botany, plant ecology and synecology, phytogeography.

Attendance of Lessons

Obligatory.

Detailed Course Content

The plant-environment relationships. Abiotic factors and biotic factors. Indication values of Ellenberg and Landolt. Hemerobous  Index. Life forms  and life strategies and their applications in ecological assessment. Monitoring and Biomonitoring. Vegetal organisms used as biomonitors (algae, lichens, bryophytes and vascular plants). Use of bryophytes and lichens in environmental monitoring. Lichens and bryophytes as bioindicators and bioaccumulators. The Index of Atmospheric Purity (IAP), Index of Lichen Biodiversity (LBI) and Index of Bryophyte Biodiversity” (BBI). Bioaccumulation. Vascular plants in bioindication. Introduction to marine pollution. Pollution deriving from organic matter (BOD, COD, organic load), from heavy metals, from synthetic organic compounds (oil spills, persistent pollutants, emerging pollutants), from plastics and solid waste. Main biological indices: phytoplankton (chlorophyll A), PREI index, CARLIT index, Trophic index (TRIX). Biological quality elements (EQB), Environmental Quality Standards (EQS). Phytoremediation and restoration

Textbook Information

1) Pignatti S., Bianco P. M. , Fanelli G. 2001 - Le piante come indicatori ambientali. Manuale tecnico-scientifico. Manuale ANPA.

2) Sartori F. (a cura di) 1998 - Bioindicatori ambientali - http://www.fratticci.com/varie/bioindicatori.pdf

3) AA.VV. 2001 - I.B.L. Indice di Biodiversità Lichenica. Manuale ANPA.

4) Cenci R.M. 2007. Linee guida per l'utilizzo di muschi indigeni, muschi trapiantati e suoli per valutare le ricadute di contaminanti organici e inorganici. JRC European Commission. EUR 23025 IT.

ppt organized and provided by the teacher

scientific articles provided by the teacher

Learning Assessment

Learning Assessment Procedures

Oral exam with power point on program topics from which knowledge and understanding of the topics covered can be deduced. The ongoing test(s) possibly foreseen for the discipline contributes to the final evaluation.
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