Programme

The Bioindication: basic concepts. Main ecological characteristics of a biological indicator. Two ways for bioindicating: react and bioaccumulate. The homeostasis of the bioindicators. Time and ecological relationship of the bioindicator responses to environmental changes. The meaning of disturbance, stress and stressor. Analysis of the main environmental stressors (chemico-physical pollution, biological pollution by alien species, anthropogenic impact) and of the relative biological responses. Bioindication in different levels of biological organization (Biomarkers and Bioindicators). Assessment of the plant and animal community status and evaluation and monitoring of the environmental quality and ecosystem integrity. Bioindication and environmental monitoring in aquatic, terrestrial and aerial environment. Examples of application of the standardized and experimental bioindication and biomonitoring techniques (from Ecotoxicological essays to phyotoremediation of contaminated matrices). Bioindication and environmental monitoring. Evaluation and monitoring of the environmental quality by Ecological and Biotic Indices. Bioindication and Environmental monitoring in Italy. International and national Agencies, Authorities, Institutions for environmental monitoring.

Core Documentation

Pdfs of the lessons performed during the course.
Studying in the book: Bioindicatori ambientali, 1998, edited by F. Sartori, Graphic Arts Juri Iodice, Sannazzaro (PV).

The teacher receives Mon, Wed, Fri from 9.00 to 10.00 by appointment via email: simona.ceschin@uniroma3.it

Type of delivery of the course

The course will take place with classroom lectures, delivered in mixed mode, providing the possibility for students enrolled in the course to participate from home. Educational field trips are planned. In the event of an extension of the health emergency from COVID-19, they will receive all the provisions that regulate the methods for carrying out the educational activities. In particular, the following methods are applied: conducting frontal lessons through mixed mode using the Microsoft Teams platform to transmit lessons to students attending from home and uploading the ppt of the lessons and other material useful for teaching purposes in the platform identified by the University such as Moodle. The Lessons cannot be recorded.

Attendance

Frequency at lessons and field trips is not mandatory but is highly recommended.

Type of evaluation

Oral exam which consists of the discussion with the teacher of a scientific article selected by the student and which concerns one of the topics addressed during the course. Questions on topics included in the course program and addressed in class.