Degree Course: BIOLOGIA ED ECOLOGIA MARINA (LM-6) Syllabus for A.Y. 2017/2018

Percorso STANDARD

FIRST YEAR

First semester

Course

Credits

Scientific Disciplinary Sector Code

Contact Hours

Exercise Hours

Laboratory Hours

Personal Study Hours

Type of Activity

Optional materials and exam in a foreign language

Language

Optional group: esami obbligatori opzionali I anno - TAF C - (show)

17509 - PLANT BIOLOGY OF COASTAL MARINE ECOSYSTEMS - ONOFRI Silvano	6	BIO/03	40	-	8	-	Related or supplementary learning activities	-	ITA
17510 - MARINE PARASSITOLOGY - MATTIUCCI Simonetta	6	VET/06	40	-	8	-	Related or supplementary learning activities	-	ITA
17511 - PROTECTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT (objectives) Educational objectives The objectives of the course are the transmission of an in-depth knowledge about the main activities aimed at protecting marine ecosystems. The course introduces the main features of marine ecosystems, analyzes the impacts on these ecosystems deriving from human activities, providing for each impact the description of the technical, managerial and regulatory tools used to protect the sea. Expected learning outcomes Knowledge and understanding At the end of the course, the student will acquire knowledge concerning the main anthropic impacts on marine ecosystems and activities aimed at protecting the sea. The student will be able to understand the multiple effects that human activities imply, in terms of the imbalance of the stability of marine ecosystems, and will know the technical, managerial and regulatory tools aimed at protecting the sea and its resources. Applied knowledge and understanding The student will be able to orient himself on the technical options that can be applied for the protection of the marine ecosystems and will be able to identify the regulatory instruments, national and supranational, through which the issues concerning the protection of the sea are addressed. Autonomy of judgment During lectures and exercises, open discussions on the main topics addressed are encouraged, in particular with regard to possible solutions to environmental emergencies affecting the sea. The student will then acquire autonomy of judgment based on the knowledge learned and on the dialectical comparison with colleagues and the teacher. Communication skills The student will acquire an appropriate technical-scientific language during the lessons and exercises, through the knowledge of the definitions and the main concepts in marine ecology and protection of the marine environment. Communication skills will be verified during the exam. Ability to learn The student will have to demonstrate to be able to use the concepts learned to hypothesize the possible effects of human activities also in marine ecosystems different from those considered as an example, based on the characteristics of the ecosystem considered. - ANGELETTI Dario (syllabus) Course content Lectures Conservation biology Rates of extinction. Endangered species and threatened species. Threats to the marine environment Climate changes Pollution and its effects: Chemical (accidental leaks, spills, shipwrecks, agricultural, sewage, industrial); Body (litter, plastic); Acoustic (military, industrial, scientific) Loss of habitats and ecosystems Loss of coastal habitats due to anthropogenic processes: Erosion; Urbanization; Dredging; Extractions; Landfills Whaling and marine mammals protection. Fishing and overfishing; Fishing restrictions. Management and regulatory tools. International Conventions Introduction of alien species: the concepts of Resilience. Resistance, Recovery and Reversibility. Conservation Definitions: biodiversity, habitats, communities, ecosystems, etc. Concept of Sustainability. The concept of 'shifting baselines'. Optimum sustainable population (OSP). Minimum level of survival (MVP). Representative areas or "distinctive"; ergoclines. Hotspot, sea mountains. The focal species: indicator species, community or state, keystones, umbrella species, flagship species. Different approaches to conservation: protection of species, protection of spaces. The integrated coastal zone management. Ecosystem approach. MPAs. The protection of species and environments. Conventions, protocols and treaties, national laws and regulations. Institutions for the study and protection. IWC. IUCN. Regulations on fishing. CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity). UNCLOS - United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. MARPOL. Habitats Directive. Marine Strategy Framework. MPA, international sanctuaries, special protection areas: The purposes. Classification. Identification, design, management. Zoning. AMPs networks. The Italian and the international framework. Bodies of management. The Governance. Stakeholders. The sustainable management of resources: fishing, tourism, underwater. Runtime systems. The role of the marine biologist in the planning and management of MPAs. Monitoring. Didactic excursions and laboratory activities Monitoring of marine birds and mammals for management and conservation purposes; data analysis. Analysis and discussion of scientific articles on the topics addressed. (reference books) Recommended educational texts - Teaching material provided by the teacher (slides, technical reports, scientific literature) - Ecology and protection of the coastal marine environment - Della Croce, Vietti, Danovaro, 1997, Utet	6	BIO/07	40	-	8	-	Related or supplementary learning activities	-	ITA
17512 - BIOLOGICAL MONITORING MARINO - ARGENTI Letizia	6	BIO/07	32	-	16	-	Related or supplementary learning activities	-	ITA

17716 - ECOLOGIA DELLA PESCA E ACQUACOLTURA SPERIMENTALE (objectives)

- CROSETTI Donatella

- SCACCO Umberto (syllabus) (reference books)

BIO/07

Core compulsory activities

ITA

18177 - MARINE BIOLOGY

- PIERMATTEI Viviana

BIO/07

Core compulsory activities

ITA

Second semester

Course	Credits	Scientific Disciplinary Sector Code	Contact Hours	Exercise Hours	Laboratory Hours	Personal Study Hours	Type of Activity	Optional materials and exam in a foreign language	Language
15414 - MARINE MICROBIOLOGY WITH LABORATORY
- MODULE A (objectives) The course will enable students to understand the peculiar morphological, physiological and metabolic characteristics of marine microorganisms (with particular reference to prokaryotes), their role in the marine environment and interactions with other organisms. Furthermore it will allow to know the basic techniques for their sampling and manipulation in the laboratory. The course will provide a framework for understanding current issues related to marine microorganisms and their potential applications (eg the importance of microorganisms for other marine organisms, their potential in biotechnology, the danger of some microorganisms and the necessary countermeasures to cancel potential damages of these). The course will provide the necessary insights to understand the ecological peculiarities of marine microorganisms, in particular those of some extreme marine environments. - FENICE Massimiliano	6	BIO/19	32	16	-	-	Core compulsory activities	-	ITA
- MODULE B (objectives) The course will enable students to understand the peculiar morphological, physiological and metabolic characteristics of marine microorganisms (with particular reference to prokaryotes), their role in the marine environment and interactions with other organisms. Furthermore it will allow to know the basic techniques for their sampling and manipulation in the laboratory. The course will provide a framework for understanding current issues related to marine microorganisms and their potential applications (eg the importance of microorganisms for other marine organisms, their potential in biotechnology, the danger of some microorganisms and the necessary countermeasures to cancel potential damages of these). The course will provide the necessary insights to understand the ecological peculiarities of marine microorganisms, in particular those of some extreme marine environments. - BARGHINI Paolo (syllabus) Introduction to the course, knowledge verification test of basic microbiology. Classification of microorganisms. Classic characters and molecular characteristics as criteria for the classification of microorganisms. Identification of microorganisms. Physiological methods: Biolog. Molecular methods: DNA extraction; amplification; sequencing; databank comparison. Definition and construction of phylogenetic trees. Choice of method; choice of sequences and multialignment; outgroup choice. The bootstrap. Critical analysis of the results obtained. Recombinant DNA technology. Restriction enzymes and construction of a restriction map. Realization of a construct. Plasmids: cloning, expression, secretion, integration, shuttle vectors and for the study of the promoter vectors. Gene-libraries Construction. Theory of PCR. Evolution and applications. Real Time PCR; chemistry of detection systems; sybr green, hybridization probes or fret probes, hydrolysis probes or TaqMan probes. Applications: quantitative analysis; revelations of mutations; products characterization. Theoretical aspects of quantitative PCR. Calibration curve. Principles of quantification. Absolute and relative quantification. Analysis of the melting curve. Set-up of the PCR with the internal control. DNA sequencing with the Sanger method. New Generation Sequencing technologies (NGS). Prokaryotes genetic transformation. Treatment of competence. Chemistry Competence. Electroporation. Triparental conjugation. Mutations. Recombination: methods and mechanisms. Gene-conversion and unequal crossing over. Transposable elements (transposons): types structure and mechanisms of action. The Plasposon. Biofouling and quorum sensing. The sampling: theoretical and practical aspects for a correct sampling and statistically significant. Sampling of marine microorganisms from anthropized and not anthropized environments. Viable and total count of marine microorganisms. Isolation, cultivation and classification (cultivation methods and molecular) of marine microorganisms. Detection of microbial biodiversity of marine environments. Biotechnology from the sea. Screening for the production of metabolites / enzymes of industrial interest. Microbiological analysis of seawater. (reference books) Colin Munn. Marine Microbiology: Ecology and Applications. Garland Science Brock Biologia dei microorganismi: microbiologia generale, ambientale e industriale. 14° edizione (2016). Casa Editrice Ambrosiana. Roberto Danovaro - Biologia Marina: biodiversità e funzionalità degli ecosistemi marini. CittàStudi Edizioni. Barbieri, Bestetti, Galli, Zannoni- Microbiologia ambientale ed elementi di ecologia microbica - Casa Editrice Ambrosiana, edizione 2008.	6	CHIM/11	32	16	-	-	Core compulsory activities	-	ITA
18121 - BIOLOGY OF MARINE ALGAE AND FUNGIORY - PASQUALETTI Marcella	7	BIO/02	48	8	-	-	Core compulsory activities	-	ITA
18176 - ECOLOGY, ETHOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF MARINE ORGANISMS
- MODULE A (objectives) The main goal of the course is to provide a solid knowledge of the ecological, ethological and evolutionary processes at the basis of the functioning of marine environment; a particular focus is on the mechanisms that shape the distribution, abundance and relationship of the marine organisms with the biotic and abiotic environment. A second goal is to emphasize the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary nature of the issues, in order to stimulate the students to a correct approach to multi-scale and complex disciplines and questions, including the variety of methodologies needed to investigate them. - CANESTRELLI Daniele (syllabus) Ecology and evolutionary biology. Fields of study, methodological approaches, temporal and spatial scales of enquiry. Marine communities. Ecological factors and biodiversity patterns. The tidal range: causes and consequences of the zonation. Adaptations. Biological interactions, community structure, metacommunity. Molecular and evolutionary ecology. Principles, methods and fields of investigation. Mechanisms of the evolutionary change. Species and speciation. Phylogeography and biogeography. Diversity and divergence. Dispersal, migration, gene flow. Landscape genetics. Population and metapopulation. Structure, diversity and demographic changes. Census size, effective size. Historical demographic survey: methods based on demographic and genetic data. Biological invasions. Causes, vectors and invasion paths. Factors behind successful invasions. Evolution of the invaders. Eco-evolutionary consequences of invasions. Lessepsian invasions. Variations of the coastline. Causes, time scales, magnitude of changes, effects on biodiversity at the level of population, species, communities. Evolutionary history of the Mediterranean basin and its shores. Tectonic evolution, climate evolution, impact on biodiversity. (reference books) Bertness, Bruno, Silliman, Stachowicz, 2014. Marine Community Ecology and Conservation. Sinauer Associates. Freeland, Kirk, Petersen, 2011. Molecular Ecology. Wiley. Rilov, Crooks, 2009. Biological Invasions in Marine Ecosystems. Springer. Losos, 2013. The Princeton guide to Evolution. Princeton University Press.	6	BIO/07	32	24	-	-	Core compulsory activities	-	ITA
- MODULE B (objectives) a) EDUCATIONAL GOALS The main goal of the course is to provide a solid knowledge of the ecological, ethological and evolutionary processes at the basis of the functioning of marine environment; a particular focus is on the mechanisms that shape the distribution, abundance and relationship of the marine organisms with the biotic and abiotic environment. A second goal is to emphasize the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary nature of the issues, in order to stimulate the students to a correct approach to multi-scale and complex disciplines and questions, including the variety of methodologies needed to investigate them. b) LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of the course the students are expected to achieve the following knowledge and abilities: Knowledge: - role of eco-etho-evolutionary processes in the origin and maintenance of spatio-temporal patterns of marine biodiversity - basic mechanisms of evolutionary processes - principles of demography and dynamics of marine populations, including the behavioural processes involved - ecological, ethological, and evolutionary mechanisms at the basis of inter- and intraspecific interactions - potential for applied and management aspects of eco-etho-evolutionary processes in the marine environment Ability: - ability to understand the interactions between organisms at the level of individual, population and species - ability to apply the acquired knowledge to eco-etho-evolutionary issues - ability to illustrate and discuss the issues and handle information at different hierarchical levels - ability to use a scientific approach to interpret the complexity of the marine environment. The achievement of this goal will be pursued with a field practicum and group discussions on selected case studies and topics, also suggested by the students - CARERE Claudio (syllabus) Fundamentals of ethology. History of animal behaviour study; the four Tinbergen questions.. Imprinting, parental care; maternal effects. Stress response. Neuroendocrine correlates of behaviour. The role of genes and environment. The role of behaviour in evolution. Preys and predators. Migration, orientation, homing. Aggression and territoriality. Mate choice and breeding systems. Animal personality. Collective behaviours. Cognitive ethology. Animal welfare. Behavioural ecology of marine organisms. Behavioural ecology and hypothesis testing. Evolutionary convergence and divergence of behavioural traits. Behavioural plasticity. Behavioural adaptations: islands and coastal fauna; pelagic environment; the deep sea; immersion in marine mammals. Social behaviour; schooling, group dynamics and self-organization; coloniality; sexual inversion; parental care; foraging strategies; orientation, migration, homing. Basis of bioacustics. Chemical communication. Bioluminescence. Electrolocation. Methodological aspects. Capture, tagging, sampling and monitoring; experimental design and quantification of behaviour in the field and in controlled conditions. Satellite tracking. Geolocators. Accelerometers. Radar and sonar. Conservation and management. Behavioural ecotoxicology; endocrine disruptors; effects of anthopogenic disturbance. Effects of climate change. The behaviour of invasive species. Aquaculture and behaviour. The relevance of behaviour in the conservation and management of marine biodiversity. (reference books) J.R. Krebs, N.B. Davies (eds) 2012 Behavioural Ecology. An Evolutionary Approach- Blackwell P. Martin, P.P.G. Bateson 2012 Measuring behaviour: an introductory guide.Cambridge University Press J. Alcock 2013 Animal Behaviour. An Evolutionary Approach. Oxford University Press A. Manning, M.S. Dawkins 2012 An Introduction to Animal Behaviour. Cambridge University Press	5	BIO/05	32	8	-	-	Core compulsory activities	-	ITA

SECOND YEAR

First semester

Course

Credits

Scientific Disciplinary Sector Code

Contact Hours

Exercise Hours

Laboratory Hours

Personal Study Hours

Type of Activity

Optional materials and exam in a foreign language

Language

17506 - APPLIED OCEANOGRAPHY AND DYNAMICS OF MARINE ECOSYSTEMS

- MARCELLI Marco

BIO/07

Core compulsory activities

ITA

Optional group: LIBERI (opzione tra due votazioni) - Percorso STANDARD - (show)

17507 - CONSERVATION OF MARINE BIODIVERSITY

- CIMMARUTA Roberta

BIO/07

Core compulsory activities

ITA

Second semester

Course	Credits	Scientific Disciplinary Sector Code	Contact Hours	Exercise Hours	Laboratory Hours	Personal Study Hours	Type of Activity	Optional materials and exam in a foreign language	Language
15422 - FINAL EXAMINATION	30		-	-	-	-	Final examination and foreign language test		ITA
17505 - STAGE	4		-	-	-	-	Other activities		ITA