Animal Biology and Plant Biology

The course aims to provide the student with the basic knowledge of fundamental characteristics of living organisms, from biological molecules, subcellular organelles, cells and tissues, as well as their functioning, in order to address any subsequent teaching of the biological area.
The teaching aims to provide students with a general understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control replication, transcription, translation, protein maturation and cellular metabolism, as well as deepening specific cellular behaviours such as proliferation, motility, survival and/or death.
Moreover, the course will give to the students an in-depth look at the mechanisms of cell cycle control, signalling pathways and transformation of cancer cells. activities concerning methods of cytology and microscopy.
The objective of vegetal biology is to provide the basic knowledge on the structure and function of the plant organs, tissues, cells and organelles involved in cellular differentiation, respiration, photosynthesis, reproduction and growth. The course also provides information about plant strategies to interact with the environment through secondary metabolites, and the importance of plants for terrestrial ecosystem.

The student should demonstrate to have acquired and understood a general knowledge about the main inorganic and organic components of living organisms, nucleic acid and protein synthesis and related basic regulation, the main functions of nucleic acids and proteins, and transmission of information from DNA to proteins, both in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Moreover, the student should gain knowledge of the molecular organization and functions of subcellular organelles and membrane systems in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells as well as cell division processes of eukaryotic cells. Furthermore, students should gain a basic understanding of the structure of viruses and bacteria.
The student will be able to acquire theoretical and basic knowledge to:
- describe the features of plant organs, tissues, cells and organelles involved in cellular respiration, photosynthesis, reproduction, and growth;
- demonstrate an understanding of how water moves in plants at both molecular and organismal levels;
- describe how plants interact with and contribute to their environment through secondary metabolites;
- describe the cultural uses of plants for food, fiber and medicine.
Upon completing the course, the student should also demonstrate to have acquired a specific language and the biological terminology in order to communicate the most relevant and recent topics in the field of general and cellular biology of the cells.