Life in its many forms. The animal cell: structure and components. The chemistry of life. The levels of hierarchical organization. General characteristics of animal organisms. The Animal Kingdom. Classification, phylogeny and animal organization. Species concept and binomial nomenclature. Interactions between organisms and cultural heritage. The biodeterioration. Systematic position, biology, behavior and ecology of biodeteriogen species. Insects: role in the deterioration of constituent materials of cultural heritage. Wood-destroying insects. The main insect species involved in textile, leathers and archival materials biodeterioration. Methods for the detection of insects degradation. Preventive and curative methods. The zoological collections as a cultural asset. Problems of preservation of the zoological collections. The rodents and control methods. The birds and control methods. Aquatic fauna involved in the degradation of the submerged artifacts: shellfish, segmented worms, crustaceans, sponges, cnidarians. Substrates for growth and degradation processes.
Microscopy for art and conservation: diagnostic investigations using microscopic techniques. Notes on the use of molecular biology techniques for the diagnosis and prevention of the biodeterioration of the cultural heritage.

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