Università Roma Tre

THE COURSE IS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF DIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION OF VERTEBRATES (FISHES, AMPHIBIANS, REPTILES, BIRDS AND MAMMALS) IN SPACE AND TIME, THROUGH A PHYLOGENETIC AND BIOGEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE. A NUMBER OF SELECTED TAXONOMIC GROUPS OF EACH CLASS OF VERTEBRATES ARE DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY, PHYLOGENETIC RECONSTRUCTION, ECOLOGICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION, ETHOLOGICAL ASPECTS, SHORT AND LONG TERM TURNOVER, RARITY AND EXTINCTION IN RELATION TO INTERSPECIFIC COMPETITION, CLIMATIC CHANGES AND HUMAN IMPACT ON ECOSYSTEMS.
THE SELECTED TAXONOMIC GROUPS ARE TREATED IN THE ELECTRONIC FILES GIVEN BY THE PROFESSOR. WITHIN THEM THE STUDENT WILL IDENTIFY THE MOST REPRESENTATIVE SPECIES OF THE EUROPEAN FAUNA WHICH MAY BE A TOPIC TO BE DISCUSSED DURING THE EXAM, WITH THE RECOGNITION OF SPECIES BELONGING TO THE ITALIAN FAUNA OR TO THE FAUNA OF HIS OWN COUNTRY (ERASMUS STUDENTS).
NUMBER OF CREDITS: 5 CREDITS OF LECTURES (40 HOURS) + 1 CREDIT OF FIELD SURVEY (AROUND 10 HOURS IN THREE SELECTED MEDITERRANEAN HABITATS), WITH A SPECIAL ATTENTION TO TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATES.

- HICKMAN CP et al. 2008/2012. DIVERSITÀ ANIMALE. MCGRAW-HILL, MILANO (FOURTH OR FIFTEENTH EDITIONS). (STUDY THE LAST FIVE CHAPTERS, DEALING WITH VERTEBRATES).
- FIELD GUIDES TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF MAMMALS, BIRDS, REPTILES, AMPHIBIANS AND FISHES OF EUROPE (ASK THE PROFESSOR THE NEW EDITIONS AVAILABLE IN EACH LANGUAGE).
- ELECTRONIC FILES GIVEN BY THE PROFESSOR.

The professor receives every day from 15:00 to 18:30 by appointment via email: giuseppe.carpaneto@uniroma3.it