AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

On completion of the module, students will have achieved the following objectives and learning outcomes:
Knowledge and understanding. 
Students will know and understand: the definitions of organism and model organism and the criteria guiding model choice; the concept, origin and validity of model organisms and the translatability of experimental results; the basic principles of animal body organization (symmetry, body cavities, protostomes and deuterostomes); the comparative functional anatomy of the main organ systems (integumentary, skeletal — both dermal skeleton and endoskeleton —, circulatory, respiratory, and the other systems addressed in class) across invertebrate and vertebrate groups; the concepts of homology, analogy, convergence and evolutionary parallelism; and the relationship between anatomy, phylogeny and functional adaptation.
Applying knowledge and understanding. 
Students will be able to: describe and compare the anatomy of the main organ systems across different animal models in functional terms; relate anatomical structures to their function and to evolutionary adaptation; distinguish homologous from analogous structures and recognise their developmental and phylogenetic origin; and apply anatomical, functional and phylogenetic criteria to identify the model best suited to a specific research question.
Making judgements. 
Students will be able to critically evaluate the strengths, limitations and translational relevance of an animal model on the basis of its anatomical and functional features, and to recognise when anatomical or phylogenetic differences — between a model and humans, or between different models — constrain the extrapolation of results.
Communication skills. 
Students will be able to present anatomical, functional and evolutionary concepts clearly and rigorously, using appropriate scientific terminology in English, and to argue the rationale for the choice of a given model in oral discussion.
Learning skills. 
Students will be able to integrate anatomical, functional and evolutionary information from textbooks and the primary literature, and to autonomously update their knowledge of animal models, providing a basis for the more applied and technological parts of the integrated course and for subsequent research activity.

TEACHING METHODS

Teaching and assessment (in line with the integrated-course syllabus): lectures are delivered in English and supported by slides, made available as PDF files on AulaWeb. As an innovative teaching method, an interactive revision lesson is run using Kahoot quizzes, to consolidate the course contents and foster active student participation. Learning is verified through an oral examination.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Foundations. The concept of organism: phenomenal individuation, indivisibility, the organism as a living agent, the tripartite vision and the intergenerational life cycle, reproducer versus replicator, autonomy and degrees of organismality; ontogeny and phylogeny; morphological and functional plasticity. Principles of animal body organization: symmetry; protostomes and deuterostomes; body cavities (acoelomates, pseudocoelomates, coelomates). Homology and analogy: convergence and evolutionary parallelism.
The model organism. Origin and meaning of the concept of model organism; translatability of experimental results; validity of the model and what model organisms represent.
Comparative functional anatomy of the organ systems (invertebrates → vertebrates), in an evolutionary key:

Integumentary system: functions of the integument; integument of invertebrates and of vertebrates (epidermis and dermis).
Skeletal system: bone tissue and its histology (osteons, lamellae); bone as an evolutionary novelty of vertebrates; the dermal skeleton (scales, dermal plates and osteoderms, with examples in fishes, crocodilians and turtles) and the endoskeleton (axial skeleton, ribs and sternum across groups; mammals); pharyngeal/branchial arches; cephalisation; evolution of the skull (anapsid, synapsid and diapsid conditions).
Circulatory system: presence and organization across animal groups (open versus closed circulation; absence in Porifera and nematodes; annelids, arthropods, mollusks); development of the vertebrate circulatory system and heart; the heart tube and the aortic arches; comparative heart anatomy and circulatory dynamics across vertebrates (fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals); cellular components of the circulatory fluids; the lymphatic system.
Respiratory system: gas-exchange strategies (cutaneous respiration, gills, tracheae, lungs); respiration in invertebrates (annelids, mollusks, arthropods/insects) and in non-vertebrate chordates; the pharynx and the pharyngeal pouches; respiration in fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds (parabronchi, air sacs, pneumatic bones) and mammals.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

lectures are delivered in English and supported by slides, made available as PDF files on AulaWeb. 

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

ANDREA AMAROLI (President)

CATERINA MICHETTI (President)

SVEVA BOLLINI (President and Coordinator of Integrated Course)

LESSONS

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy