Plant Biology and Entomology

A first objective of the course is to provide information on biological macromolecules and on prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
A further aim is to provide basic knowledge of the biology of insects and fungi, especially with regard to their structure, the influence of abiotic and biotic factors on their biology, self-preservation and reproduction strategies, and their relationships with other organisms.
Relating the study of insects, the aim is to provide the knowledge to assess symptoms, damage caused by the different species, monitoring techniques and control strategies with particular attention to environmentally friendly ones. In addition, information will be provided on laboratory methods useful for the study and identification of these organisms as well as for assessing their presence in the environments.

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Know the structure and functions of biological macromolecules
- Know prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
- Identify damage caused by insects to cultural heritage.
- Identify insect species that can cause damage to cultural heritage.
- Assess insect presence in the different environments considered and interpret the influence of environmental variations on the insect populations considered.
- Propose management methods for the containment of damaging insects in cultural heritage.