CODE 114730 ACADEMIC YEAR 2024/2025 CREDITS 5 cfu anno 1 BIOLOGIA ED ECOLOGIA MARINA 11770 (LM-6) - GENOVA SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINARY SECTOR BIO/06 TEACHING LOCATION GENOVA SEMESTER 2° Semester MODULES Questo insegnamento è un modulo di: EVOLUTION OF MARINE ORGANISMS TEACHING MATERIALS AULAWEB AIMS AND CONTENT AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES Attending and participating in the scheduled lectures will allow the student to acquire advanced knowledge related to the classification, origin, and phylogeny of the main marine vertebrates. Specifically, the student will be able to: Understand the mechanisms underlying evolution Acquire the correct terminology for identifying morphological and anatomical features of marine vertebrates Understand the evolution and morphological and functional characteristics of systems in marine vertebrates Apply bioinformatics techniques and statistical analysis in R for molecular and morphological analyses of the main marine vertebrates TEACHING METHODS The course consists of 32 hours of lectures delivered through multimedia presentations and of 16 hours of laboratory work. Computer labs are included. Attendance at the lectures is not mandatory but is strongly recommended. It is possible that the mode of instruction may be modified due to emergency situations that prevent in-person classes. In such cases, the lectures will be conducted via the Teams platform using appropriate substitute teaching tools. SYLLABUS/CONTENT Fundamental aspects of evolution: Microevolution: gene flow and genetic drift; concepts of species; geographic variation and speciation; speciation in the marine environment. Macroevolution: homeotic genes and the organization of the animal body plan; the origin of taxa; evolutionary trends and extinction. Origin of chordates and vertebrates: Hypotheses on vertebrate evolution Evolution and phylogeny of cyclostomes Evolution of fishes: the first vertebrates Evolution and phylogeny of chondrichthyans, actinopterygians, sarcopterygians. Phylogeny, taxonomy, and classification of marine mammals: Reptiles (Turtles) and marine mammals (Sirenians, Pinnipeds, and Cetaceans) as examples of recolonization of the aquatic environment from terrestrial ancestors: origin and evolution; biological and ecological characteristics of current species. Evolutionary biology of systems in the marine vertebrates: Integumentary system, nervous system and sensory organs, reproductive strategies. Computer exercises for molecular phylogeny: Searching nucleotide and protein sequence databases, Genome annotation and prediction of coding sequences, Multiple sequence alignment and construction of phylogenetic trees Computer exercises for morphometric analysis using R (anatomical characters for taxonomy) RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY F. Harvey Pough, C.M. Janis, J.B. Heiser, Zoologia dei Vertebrati, Zanichelli M. Ridley, Evoluzione e la storia della vita e i suoi meccanismi, McGraw Hill TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD SIMONA CANDIANI Ricevimento: The students are able to book an appointment by phone, by mail or by aulaweb SARA FERRANDO Ricevimento: Students can book appointments with the professor Exam Board STEFANO SCHIAPARELLI (President) SIMONA CANDIANI SARA FERRANDO (President Substitute) LESSONS LESSONS START Check the schedule and academic calendar Class schedule The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy EXAMS EXAM DESCRIPTION Oral exam. Three exam sessions will be available in the winter session and four in the summer session. ASSESSMENT METHODS The oral exam aims at assessing the acquisition of notions, comprehension of the processes, and appropriate use of scientific jargon. The student must prove to be able to integrate the notions learned during this course with his preexisting knowledge. The ability to logically structure an answer and present the arguments plainly will also be evaluated. When the requirements are not met, the student is invited to deepen the study and, eventually, to make use of further explanations from the teachers. It is possible that emergency situations prevent the exam from being carried out in attendance. In this case, the exam might be conducted online using the Microsoft Teams platform. Exam schedule Data appello Orario Luogo Degree type Note 17/06/2025 09:30 GENOVA Orale 02/07/2025 09:30 GENOVA Orale 21/07/2025 09:30 GENOVA Orale 19/09/2025 09:30 GENOVA Orale FURTHER INFORMATION Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Professor Sara Ferrando (sara.ferrando@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.
