OVERVIEW

The teaching course gives the basic for a knowledge of a correct management of wildlife animal populations, in the terrestrial and freshwater environments.

The teaching has a strongly integrated structure, as comprises lessons in the classroom, practical activities in the laboratory and field activities (technical visits and sampling of macroinvertebrates in freshwater environment).

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Active participation to proposed training activities (lectures, technical visits and laboratory activities) together with the individual study will allow the student to

- understand the main biological characteristics of animal populations (distribution, specific habitat, structure in age classes, sex ratio, abundance and density)

- understand the ecological dynamics of animal populations (reproductive potential, growth rate, metapopulation concept, extinction and colonization)

- understand the interactions between animal populations (predation, competition and symbiosis)

- understand the main biological characteristics of the Italian ungulate species (wild boar, roe deer, ibex, fallow deer, deer)

- apply the knowledge to the correct management and planning of wildlife and game exploitation (game legislation, conservation plans, management and culling plans)

- apply the knowledge to the correct prevention of damage caused by wildlife (wildlife control and electrified fences)

- understand the physico-chemical characteristics of river habitats and relationships with aquatic fauna

- understand the main biological characteristics of aquatic macroinvertebrates and Italian freshwater fish

- apply the knowledge of freshwater zoology to the biological evaluation of running waters (calculation of the extended biological index IBE and the index of the ecological status of fish communities, ISECI)

PREREQUISITES

This basic knowledge is necessary to effectively address the course content:

• nomenclature and zoological systematics
• anatomy of mammals
• anatomy of insects
• anatomy of crustaceans
• anatomy of fish

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching consists of lectures, for a total of about 40 hours, practical lab activity, technical field visits for 14/16 hours. Attendance at lessons and practical activities is not mandatory. The laboratory is held by the official  teacher, assisted by a doctoral student who has been given a free official assignment for teaching support. In the practical laboratory activities, students in pairs have at their disposal a binocular stereoscope and personal copies of the dichotomous recognition keys (the latter supplied by the teacher). Students must sort and identify samples of macroinvertebrates of running waters up to the taxonomic level required by IBE method. Each determination is immediately confirmed by the teacher or assistent. The organization and dates of laboratory activities are communicated directly through Aul@web. Technical visits and field activities are always conducted by the teacher in charge.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

General introduction (structure and contents of the course; Aul @ web and resources, importance of the technical visits and laboratories, methods of examination)

    Population concept (examples)

    Metapopulation concept (examples)

    Italian ungulates (examples)

    Interactions between populations

    Competition (examples)

    Game legislation

    Game management (specific census methods and culling plans for different species)

    Morphology, habitat and fluvial microhabitats; zonation, biozones; fish zones; river continuum concept

    Physico-chemical characteristics of running waters and relationships with aquatic fauna

    Macroinvertebrates of running waters (systematic groups, biology, ecological adaptations, trophic groups)

    Quality of running waters and animal indicators

    Extended Biotic Index IBE (purpose, sampling, table and IBE value)

    Main fish of Italian internal freshwaters (primary species, anadromous species, catadrome species)

    The ecological status index of fish communities ISECI; principles of application.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

All presentations shown in class are available to students on Aul@web, as well as other educational material not covered by copyright. The volumes recommended for further information are available at the Science library. During the laboratories and field activities guides and handbooks are provided to the students by the teacher.

Recommended readings

MARSAN A. Gli ungulati selvatici in Liguria. Il Piviere Edizioni (presente in biblioteca)

APAT-IRSA/CNR (2003). Metodi analitici per le acque – Sezione 9000: Indicatori biologici (presente su Aulaweb)

SARTORI (1998). Bioindicatori ambientali. Fondazione Lombardia per l’Ambiente, collana Ricerche e risultati (presente su aluaweb)

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

SEBASTIANO SALVIDIO (President)

LORIS GALLI

GIORGIO BAVESTRELLO (President Substitute)

MARZIA BO (Substitute)

LESSONS

Class schedule

APPLIED ZOOLOGY

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Methods of examination are available on Aul@web in the course presentation slides.

The exam is unique but consists of an oral (discussion of the topics of the program) and a practical test (recognition with binocular microscope of a specimen of macroinvertebrate previously identified during laboratories).

There will be 2 appeals for the winter session (mid-January-February) and 5 appeals for the summer session (June, July and September). No extraordinary appeals will be granted outside the periods indicated, with the exception of out-of-course students.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam preparation methods are explained in the first introductory class, which is available like all the other presentations on Aul@web. In addition, in the classroom at the end of each main topic, students' level of understanding will be verified through the use of online questionnaires made through the Kahoot platform. Because students participate anonymously, it is actually a self-assessment; the teacher is however able to detect general trends and clarify any problems arising in the class. The oral exam will focus on the topics covered during the lectures and will have the purpose to evaluate not only if the student has reached an adequate level of knowledge, but also if he has acquired the ability to link the different topics together providing a unified interpretation of the topic discussed. The practical recognition test checks the ability to use the keys aquired during laboratory activities.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Participating to laboratory and practical field activities is strongly recommended.