9 ECTS credits
270 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 1015351ANR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.
The course General Zoology consists of a general overview of the major animal phyla and the different organs and tissues characteristic of this group. The principal goal of this course is to let the students gain insight in the diversity of building plans, organ systems and tissues present in the animal kingdom and the unique characteristics of animal organisms in an evolutionary context. The course consists of interactive lectures (HOC) and practical exercises (WPO) that complement and further clarify the course content via microscopy sessions, dissections and a large collection of preserved zoological specimens for the different considered phyla.
The 9 ECTS variant of this course which is only available for Biology students, contains extra lectures (HOC), extra practical exercises (WPO) and a group assignment (ZELF). The extra lectures provide a detailed overview of the evolution of animals and animal organ systems from a paleontological and comparative anatomical perspective. The extra practical sessions consist of more dissections and sessions with zoological material from the collections. The group assignment (ZELF) consists of a visit to the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences where the collections are used as the basis of a zoological group work. Each group of four or five students discusses a zoological phenomenon or problem that is selected after discussion with the course instructor. The conclusions of this task are handed in as a report and communicated via a scientific presentation.
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Competences & Learning outcomes
- The student knows the basic principles of zoological nomenclature and the most frequently used taxonomic levels (species, genus, family, order, class, phylum) and knows the differences between taxonomy, systematics and phylogeny.
- The student knows the basic principles of genetics, Mendelian inheritance, natural selection, drift, migration, mutation and speciation.
- The student knows the most important traits of the major animal phyla Porifera, Cnidaria, Ctenophora, Platyhelminthes, Nematoda, Annelida, Brachiopoda, Mollusca, Arthropoda, Echinodermata, Chordata and can reconstruct the emergence of these traits in an evolutionary context. The student can also reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships among these phyla based on synapomorphic traits and can indicate discrepancies with more robust phylogenies based on molecular markers.
- The student knows the most important adaptations that contributed to the success of vertebrate and invertebrate animals. These include adaptations for life on land and in aquatic environments and trophic and locomotory specializations.
- The student can reconstruct the evolution of vertebrates from invertebrate ancestors and the emergence of novel adaptations in the different groups.
- The student knows the different stages of embryonic development in different animal model species (sea urchin, amphioxus, frog, chicken, human) and can recognize these stages in models and on microscopic slides. The student can also reconstruct the embryonic origin of different organ systems and make comparisons across different phyla.
- The student knows the morphological and anatomical structure and the evolutionary origin of the most important animal tissues (epithelia, bone, cartilage, muscle, connective tissue, nervous tissue) and can recognize tissues in specimens.
- The student knows the anatomical structure and the evolutionary origin of the most important organ systems. These include the digestive, excretion, cardio-vascular and gas exchange systems, the nervous system including sensory organs, the endocrine and immune system.
- The student knows how the most important metabolic functions are regulated in the different animal phyla.
- The student knows the most important reproduction modes that occur in the animal kingdom (clonal reproduction, parthenogenesis, cyclical parthenogenesis, sexual reproduction) and can illustrate these with examples.
- The student can analyze the morphological traits of an unknown organism and can tentatively assign it to one of the phyla considered in the course.
- The student can independently perform a dissection of a biological specimen and recognize different organ systems and tissues.
- The student can use a microscope and can make drawings of animals and tissues presented on microscopic slides.
- The student can reconstruct the evolution of the major animal building plans in a historical paleontological context.
- The student can recognise different types of biological remains (fossils, bone).
- The student knows the most important anatomical and morphological adaptations in the skeleton and other major organ systems of chordates throughout their evolutionary history. This includes the emergence of jaws, teeth and the skeleton and the development of more complex circulatory and excretion systems from more primitive ancestral structures.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 60% of the final mark.
Practical Exam determines 25% of the final mark.
SELF Report determines 15% of the final mark.
Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the Practical Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the SELF Report category, the following assignments need to be completed:
The evaluation consists of the following components:
The calculate the final mark the three components are weighted as 60% HOC + 25% WPO + 15 % ZELF with the important constraint that the student needs to obtain a pass (at least 10/20) for both the HOC and WPO components to pass this course.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Biology: Default track (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Profile Profile Literary Studies
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: geografie (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: chemie (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: fysica (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: wiskunde (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: ingenieurswetenschappen (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Physical Education: standaard traject (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Movement and Sports Sciences: Afstudeerrichting sportbeleid en sportmanagement - profiel onderwijs (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Movement and Sports Sciences: Physical Activity, Fitness and Health Profile Profile Education (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Movement and Sports Sciences: Sports Training and Coaching Profile Profile Education (only offered in Dutch)