BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION AND VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY - UNIT BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
EVOLUZIONE BIOLOGICA E BIOLOGIA DEI VERTEBRATI MOD. EVOLUZIONE BIOLOGICA
BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
EVOLUZIONE BIOLOGICA
| A.Y. | Credits |
|---|---|
| 2015/2016 | 6 |
| Lecturer | Office hours for students | |
|---|---|---|
| Maria Balsamo |
Assigned to the Degree Course
| Date | Time | Classroom / Location |
|---|
Learning Objectives
The course aims at providing students with basic information on the mechanisms of evolution, starting from the historical bases of evolutionary research up to concepts that are object of active, current scientific debate.
Program
Origin of evolutionary principles: from the ancient Greece to Seven hundred. Eight hundred: birth og the modern evolutionary thought. Darwin and Wallace: descendance with modification; the theory of natural selection. Modern Synthesys: the neo-darwinism. Evolution today: the post-darwinism.
Evolution as a fact: evidences for evolution. Creationism and ‘intelligent design’.
The conceptual model of evolution: concept of adaptation, Convergence and parallelism. Sexual selection.
Population genetics: genetic variability and its measurement. Concept of darwinian fitness.
Evolution at various levels: molecular, genomic, phenotypical. Evo-Devo. Epigenetic heredity.
Species and speciation: several approaches to the species concept. Isolation mechanisms and models of speciation. Phyletic gradualism and punctuated equilibria. Microevolution and macroevolution. Symbioses and coevolution. Evolutionary radiations and extinctions.
Evolution and phylogeny: cladistics or phylogenetic systematics. Methods for reconstructing phylogenies. Biological evolution of Homo sapiens.
Modern synthesys towards an extended evolutionary synthesys?
Bridging Courses
No propaedeutical courses are officially requested, even if the course arguments require the knowledge of elements of animal biology, vegetal biology, genetics and ecology.
Learning Achievements (Dublin Descriptors)
Acquisition of the historical bases of research on biological evolution. Knowledge of mechanisms and processes of biological evolution at various levels.
Teaching Material
The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it
Supporting Activities
Workshops on specific evolutionary aspects will be planned in agreement with students.
Teaching, Attendance, Course Books and Assessment
- Teaching
The course will be taught mainly through lectures, interactive as possible.
Slides of the course will be made available and educational and bibliographic materials will be provided, also in a foreign language, in electronic or printed form, for further self-training and exercises, followed by group discussion during lessons.
Seminars on specific topics will be held.
- Attendance
No obligation.
- Course books
Course text:
Ferraguti-Castellacci 2011. Evoluzione, modelli e processi. Pearson Italia, Milano-Torino.
Reference texts:
Ridley 2006. Evoluzione. La storia della vita e i suoi meccanismi. McGraw-Hill.
Kampourakis 2014. Understanding evolution. Cambridge Univ. Press.
Bibliographic and didactic material, aldo in foreign language, will be provided on hard and electronic support for studies in detail and self-training exercises.
- Assessment
Oral examination on the arguments of the programme and/or discussion of a relation focussing a specific topic, subject to agreement with the teacher.
- Disabilità e DSA
Le studentesse e gli studenti che hanno registrato la certificazione di disabilità o la certificazione di DSA presso l'Ufficio Inclusione e diritto allo studio, possono chiedere di utilizzare le mappe concettuali (per parole chiave) durante la prova di esame.
A tal fine, è necessario inviare le mappe, due settimane prima dell’appello di esame, alla o al docente del corso, che ne verificherà la coerenza con le indicazioni delle linee guida di ateneo e potrà chiederne la modifica.
Additional Information for Non-Attending Students
- Teaching
Slides of the course will be made available and educational and bibliographic materials will be provided, also in a foreign language, in electronic or printed form, for further self-training and exercises, followed by group discussion during lessons.
Seminars on specific topics will be held.
- Attendance
No obligation.
- Course books
Course text:
Ferraguti-Castellacci 2011. Evoluzione, modelli e processi. Pearson Italia, Milano-Torino.
Reference texts:
Ridley 2006. Evoluzione. La storia della vita e i suoi meccanismi. McGraw-Hill.
Kampourakis 2014. Understanding evolution. Cambridge Univ. Press.
Bibliographic and didactic material, also in foreign language, will be provided on hard and electronic support for studies in detail and self-training exercises.
- Assessment
Oral examination on the arguments of the programme and/or discussion of a relation focussing a specific topic, subject to agreement with the teacher.
- Disabilità e DSA
Le studentesse e gli studenti che hanno registrato la certificazione di disabilità o la certificazione di DSA presso l'Ufficio Inclusione e diritto allo studio, possono chiedere di utilizzare le mappe concettuali (per parole chiave) durante la prova di esame.
A tal fine, è necessario inviare le mappe, due settimane prima dell’appello di esame, alla o al docente del corso, che ne verificherà la coerenza con le indicazioni delle linee guida di ateneo e potrà chiederne la modifica.
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