Applied Ecology of Arthropods and Fungi
A.Y. 2020/2021
Learning objectives
To provide basic knowledge about the biology and ecology of arthropods and fungi propaedeutic to the disciplines of defense and, in particular, regarding the influence of abiotic and biotic factors on the biology of arthropods and fungi, their relationships with other organisms and strategies of self-preservation, the relationships and interactions in agroecosystems.To provide basic knowledge about the biology and ecology of arthropods and fungi propaedeutic to the disciplines of defense and, in particular, regarding the influence of abiotic and biotic factors on the biology of arthropods and fungi, their relationships with other organisms and strategies of self-preservation, the relationships and interactions in agroecosystems.
Expected learning outcomes
The student will acquire useful knowledge to understand and evaluate the response of arthropods and fungi under varying environmental and ecological conditions, in order to better understand the criteria on which the management of plant protection is based.The student will acquire useful knowledge to understand and evaluate the response of arthropods and fungi under varying environmental and ecological conditions, in order to better understand the criteria on which the management of plant protection is based.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Lesson period
First semester
Teaching methods
Lectures and exercises will be held on the Microsoft Teams platform and can be followed synchronously on the basis of the lesson timetable.
Some lessons and exercises will be in attendance and require a booking with a special App prepared by the University.
As for previous years, on the ARIEL website of the course, guide materials (slides, publications, diagrams) will be made available to help the student develop the contents of the program as well as any notices relating to the different aspects of the course itself. Teachers will also use the "Lezioniunimi" App for more urgent notifications.
Program and reference material
The program and the reference material will not change and are reported on the website of the course
Learning verification procedures and assessment criteria
The exam will however take place in an oral form with the methods already adopted in previous years, however using the Microsoft Teams platform until the oral exams in attendance are restored.
Lectures and exercises will be held on the Microsoft Teams platform and can be followed synchronously on the basis of the lesson timetable.
Some lessons and exercises will be in attendance and require a booking with a special App prepared by the University.
As for previous years, on the ARIEL website of the course, guide materials (slides, publications, diagrams) will be made available to help the student develop the contents of the program as well as any notices relating to the different aspects of the course itself. Teachers will also use the "Lezioniunimi" App for more urgent notifications.
Program and reference material
The program and the reference material will not change and are reported on the website of the course
Learning verification procedures and assessment criteria
The exam will however take place in an oral form with the methods already adopted in previous years, however using the Microsoft Teams platform until the oral exams in attendance are restored.
Course syllabus
The course provides fundamental information on the practical aspects of the ecology of arthropods and fungi ecology such as basic knowledge that will find a natural development in courses on entomology, plant pathology, crop and food protection and ecology.
As for the entomological part the following topics will be treated :Abiotic factors: light, heat , water, environment.Phytophage , micetophage , zoophage. Biotic factors: relations with other animal , communication, parental care (1 CFU). Aggregations, territoriality, commensalism , symbiosis , predation and parasitism .Preservation resources: longevity, biological rhythms, mobility (1 CFU). Population dynamics: biotic potential and environmental resistance.Types of damage of arthropods in the agricultural environment (1 CFU).
Regarding the mycological aspects the course will cover the following topics:Structure and organization of the fungal thallus : hyphae and hyphal wall, cellular organization, septa, apical growth, branching and hyphal fusions, hyphal modifications and aggregations.Reproduction: asexual and sexual reproduction and related reproductive structures (zoospores, sporangiospore, conidiospore, oospores, zigospore, ascospores and basidiospores), fruiting bodies, reproductive strategies of fungi.Fungal classification: criteria for fungal taxonomy, general characteristics of the main taxonomic groups.Spore germination: latency, morphology of germination processes, influence of environmental factors on germination.Influence of environmental factors and nutrition on growth and fungal reproduction.Variability: importance and mechanisms of heterokaryosis , cytoplasmic inheritance (1.5 CFU).
The fungal symbiosis: mycorrhizae; physiological interactions between plant and fungus, the different types of mycorrhiza, ecological significance of plant diseases and mycorrhizal relationship.The fungal symbiosis: lichens; nature of the interaction between fungi and algae, types and ecological significance.Fungi and saprophytism: the biodegradation of organic matter to the biodeterioration of materials and products.Parasitism: parasitic relationships between fungi and various types of hosts, introduction to plant parasitism (0.5 CFU)
During the exercises will be developed mycological aspects regarding the techniques of cultivation and identification of fungi, special cases of interactions between fungi and other organisms and / or substrates in order to emphasize their ecological role.Some topics of the exercises will be directly developed by the students, individually or in groups, with the support of the teacher and shared with other course participants.The material produced during the exercises will be made available to students. The topics covered and / or developed during the exercises will be subject to verification in the examination (1 CFU).
As for the entomological part the following topics will be treated :Abiotic factors: light, heat , water, environment.Phytophage , micetophage , zoophage. Biotic factors: relations with other animal , communication, parental care (1 CFU). Aggregations, territoriality, commensalism , symbiosis , predation and parasitism .Preservation resources: longevity, biological rhythms, mobility (1 CFU). Population dynamics: biotic potential and environmental resistance.Types of damage of arthropods in the agricultural environment (1 CFU).
Regarding the mycological aspects the course will cover the following topics:Structure and organization of the fungal thallus : hyphae and hyphal wall, cellular organization, septa, apical growth, branching and hyphal fusions, hyphal modifications and aggregations.Reproduction: asexual and sexual reproduction and related reproductive structures (zoospores, sporangiospore, conidiospore, oospores, zigospore, ascospores and basidiospores), fruiting bodies, reproductive strategies of fungi.Fungal classification: criteria for fungal taxonomy, general characteristics of the main taxonomic groups.Spore germination: latency, morphology of germination processes, influence of environmental factors on germination.Influence of environmental factors and nutrition on growth and fungal reproduction.Variability: importance and mechanisms of heterokaryosis , cytoplasmic inheritance (1.5 CFU).
The fungal symbiosis: mycorrhizae; physiological interactions between plant and fungus, the different types of mycorrhiza, ecological significance of plant diseases and mycorrhizal relationship.The fungal symbiosis: lichens; nature of the interaction between fungi and algae, types and ecological significance.Fungi and saprophytism: the biodegradation of organic matter to the biodeterioration of materials and products.Parasitism: parasitic relationships between fungi and various types of hosts, introduction to plant parasitism (0.5 CFU)
During the exercises will be developed mycological aspects regarding the techniques of cultivation and identification of fungi, special cases of interactions between fungi and other organisms and / or substrates in order to emphasize their ecological role.Some topics of the exercises will be directly developed by the students, individually or in groups, with the support of the teacher and shared with other course participants.The material produced during the exercises will be made available to students. The topics covered and / or developed during the exercises will be subject to verification in the examination (1 CFU).
Prerequisites for admission
It is advised to have knowledge of elements of biology and primary productions.
Teaching methods
The teachers will use: lectures and classroom exercises for micological arguments to improve knowledge of some topics of the discipline.
Teaching Resources
Entomological arguments: the materials can be downloaded from Ariel.
The following materials are recommended for the study of mycological topics:
1) Petrolini, Sardi, Quaroni "Micologia" edizione Clesav, 1991; Deacon "Micologia Moderna" Calderini Edagricole, 2000; Carlile, Watkinson, Gooday "Fungi" Academic Press, 2001; Deacon "Fungal Biology" Blackwell Publishing;
2) Additional documents deposited on the Ariel page of the course.
3) Notes from the lessons.
The following materials are recommended for the study of mycological topics:
1) Petrolini, Sardi, Quaroni "Micologia" edizione Clesav, 1991; Deacon "Micologia Moderna" Calderini Edagricole, 2000; Carlile, Watkinson, Gooday "Fungi" Academic Press, 2001; Deacon "Fungal Biology" Blackwell Publishing;
2) Additional documents deposited on the Ariel page of the course.
3) Notes from the lessons.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam consists of an oral test and takes place on a single date for both Learning Units.
There are no ongoing checks. During the year, various exam sessions are proposed during the periods set by the didactic regulation. The dates of the exsam sessions are regularly and officially published, in the times and in the manner prescribed by the regulations, on the SIFA web pages.
Students enrolled in an exam call and who no longer wish to support it are required to cancel the registration and eventually to notify the teacher promptly in the case of registration already closed.
For each individual module the interview on the topics in the program will be based on 2-3 questions, aimed at ascertaining the achievement of the teaching objectives. During the examination, descriptions or comments of images or diagrams related to the individual topics in the program may be requested. The exam will be passed reporting the sufficiency in both modules and the mark for each module contributes 50% to the formation of the final grade of the integrated exam.
DSA students - In order to take advantage of the facilities provided, must communicate their situation to the Unimi Disabled Office http://www.unimi.it/studenti/serviziodisabiliedsa.htm. Furthermore, it is suggested to discuss with the lecturer during the frequency or during the preparation of the exam in order to have useful suggestions; in any case it is mandatory to communicate that the intention is to use the compensatory / dispensatory tools with adequate advance (at least 10 days) to the teacher to agree on the examination procedures, which remain the responsibility of the same.
There are no ongoing checks. During the year, various exam sessions are proposed during the periods set by the didactic regulation. The dates of the exsam sessions are regularly and officially published, in the times and in the manner prescribed by the regulations, on the SIFA web pages.
Students enrolled in an exam call and who no longer wish to support it are required to cancel the registration and eventually to notify the teacher promptly in the case of registration already closed.
For each individual module the interview on the topics in the program will be based on 2-3 questions, aimed at ascertaining the achievement of the teaching objectives. During the examination, descriptions or comments of images or diagrams related to the individual topics in the program may be requested. The exam will be passed reporting the sufficiency in both modules and the mark for each module contributes 50% to the formation of the final grade of the integrated exam.
DSA students - In order to take advantage of the facilities provided, must communicate their situation to the Unimi Disabled Office http://www.unimi.it/studenti/serviziodisabiliedsa.htm. Furthermore, it is suggested to discuss with the lecturer during the frequency or during the preparation of the exam in order to have useful suggestions; in any case it is mandatory to communicate that the intention is to use the compensatory / dispensatory tools with adequate advance (at least 10 days) to the teacher to agree on the examination procedures, which remain the responsibility of the same.
Unita' didattica 1: ecologia degli artropodi fitofagi
AGR/11 - GENERAL AND APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY
AGR/12 - PLANT PATHOLOGY
AGR/12 - PLANT PATHOLOGY
Lessons: 24 hours
Professor:
Locatelli Daria Patrizia
Unita' didattica 2: ecologia fungina
AGR/11 - GENERAL AND APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY
AGR/12 - PLANT PATHOLOGY
AGR/12 - PLANT PATHOLOGY
Practicals: 16 hours
Lessons: 16 hours
Lessons: 16 hours
Professor:
Saracchi Marco
Professor(s)
Reception:
it is received by appointment
Via Celoria 2, Building 21030