Animal and Human Biology, and Ecology curriculum

The Curriculum provides a solid knowledge regarding the valorisation of marine biodiversity with reference to fish and macro-invertebrate species that characterize the sea and inland waters of Sardinia, through theoretical and experimental studies that enhance the quality and safety of food products, with particular regard to the promotion and protection of typical products of the island (eg. bottarga, lobster, sea urchin pulp, shrimp, tuna, octopus).

More specifically, the learning objectives for the first year include:

The study of the natural environment in all its biotic and abiotic components for the analysis of processes, systems and productive problems with special attention to the marine and brackish ecosystems (sea and lagoons).

The study of conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean. In particular, the following main topics will be addressed: reproductive cycles, estimates of abundance, distribution, recruitment mechanisms and bio-ecological correlations for Mediterranean teleosts, crustaceans, cephalopods and selachian species.

The curriculum itself provides skills related to the ability to:

1. plan interventions for the prevention, management, protection, and conservation of natural resources;
2. assess the impact of anthropisation;
3. design programs of environment restoration.

In addition, the Curriculum provides a solid knowledge concerning the definition of micro-evolutionary processes of human populations, in the light of molecular, anthropometric, biodemographic, and osteological data, and those arising from the ‘man-environment’ interactions.

More specifically, the learning objectives include:

• the systematics analysis of fossil remains of the human lineage and of bioarchaeological field in its osteological, paleo-demographic and molecular aspects;
• study of the evolution of cultures and subsistence strategies in their naturalistic aspects;
• reconstruction of the history of human settlement through the study of bio-anthropological and molecular markers;
• study of single-parent molecular markers for the identification of marriage and cultural behaviours and of migration patterns;
• study of the different susceptibility to diseases in human populations; evaluation of anthropometric characteristics and body composition in relation to the life cycle and motor activities.