ECTS credits ECTS credits: 4.5
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Student's work ECTS: 74.2 Hours of tutorials: 2.25 Expository Class: 18 Interactive Classroom: 18 Total: 112.45
Use languages Spanish, Galician
Type: Ordinary Degree Subject RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Center Faculty of Biology
Call: Second Semester
Teaching: Sin Docencia (En Extinción)
Enrolment: No Matriculable (Sólo Alumnado Repetidor)
Provide an essential knowledge on animal biodiversity, their quantitative importance, patterns of speciation and extinction, the most used tools for knowledge and key conservation issues and legislative tools and techniques for management.
THEORY PROGRAM (26H)
1) Conceptual elements (6 h). The concept of biodiversity. Animal biodiversity over time. Speciation and extinction. Biodiversity in numbers. How to measure biodiversity. Hotspots.
2) Tools for knowledge of animal biodiversity (10 h).
a. Specific level. Molecular and morphometric techniques.
b. Population level. Methods for inventory and quantification of animal populations.
3) Conservation and management of animal biodiversity (10 h).
a. Identification of threats to animal biodiversity.
b. Legislative and technical framework for conservation. Endangered Species catalogs and Red Books. Conservation and Recovery Plans.
c. Protected areas.
d. Ex - situ conservation
e. Wildlife in the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs).
SEMINARS (5 h)
a. Threatened fauna of Galicia (4 h).
b. Methods of study of animal behavior (1 h)
FIELD PRACTICES (8 h)
Application of techniques of inventory and quantification of fauna.
Be configured in groups of 3-5 students, who apply the techniques of inventory and, where appropriate, quantification of certain previously selected faunal groups. The information obtained by each student group will be used to prepare a paper (written) based on patterns of development of a scientific paper. These guidelines include at least the following points: acquisition and reading articles on the topic addressed, using statistical and cartographic tools, writing following the rules according to a scientific journal in the area.
A trip of 1 day to visit an area of biological interest of Galicia will be done, to observe the fauna and to apply census techniques. This trip will be subject to the existence of funding.
TUTORING (2 h)
Contents:
Tutoring 1: Definition of the experimental work. Hypotheses to be tested. Where to find the scientific literature?. Planning of field work. Preparation of the Project (1.5 h).
Tutoring 2. Project review. Start of field sampling. Doubts consult (0.5 h).
EXAM (2H)
It will cover the contents of the lectures and seminars.
BASIC
HUNTER, M. L. & GIBBS, J. P. 2007. Fundamentals of Conservation Biology, Oxford, Blackwell.
JEFFRIES, M. J. 2005. Biodiversity and Conservation, London, Routledge.
SUTHERLAND, W. J. (ed.) 1996. Ecological Census Techniques, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
TELLERÍA, J. L. 2012. Introducción a la Conservación de las Especies, Valencia, Editorial Tundra.
COMPLEMENTARY
CAUGHLEY, G. & GUNN, A. 1996. Conservation Biology in Theory and Practice, Cambridge, Blackwell Sciences.
GASTON, K. J. & SPICER, J. I. 2004. Biodiversity: An Introduction, Oxford, Blackwell.
HAWKSWORTH, D. L. & BULL, A. T. (eds.) 2007. Vertebrate conservation and biodiversity, Dordrecht: Springer.
Specific competences
• Knowledge of animal diversity, the analysis and biogeography, ecology and conservation aspects.
• Techniques of inventory and quantification of animal populations.
• Identification of environmental problems affecting wildlife.
• Use of wildlife in Environmental Impact Assessments and territory management.
Transversal competences
• Fins and use of scientific information, teamwork capacities, capacity building for the preparation of scientific papers, ability to group work and public presentations.
The teaching methodology will be based on theoretical (master) classes, seminars and practical field classes. All these activities will have a face-to-face character.
The tutorials will be face-to-face, and will be oriented both to the resolution of doubts and to the preparation and development of experimental practical work.
The basic information on the contents of the subject, as well as the complementary material useful for the personal work of the students, will be provided through the Campus Virtual of the USC.
In cases of fraudulent completion of exercises or tests, the provisions of the Regulations for evaluating the academic performance of students and reviewing grades will apply. The distribution by different means (for example, web pages) and without the teacher's consent, of any teaching material posted in the virtual classroom is also strictly prohibited.
The completion of a face-to-face final test (50% of the final grade) is combined with continuous evaluation through attendance control (5% final grade), visu exam linked to the practical work of the subject (5%) and essay writing Individual relative to the experimental part of the subject (40% final grade).
For students enrolled for the first time, the following criteria will be followed at the first opportunity:
a) Master classes. Attendance will be documented by signature sheet. Attendance at master classes will weight up to 5% in the final grade of the subject.
b) Field practices. They will be compulsory attendance, being its completion a necessary requirement to pass the subject.
c) Seminars. The content taught in the seminars will be evaluated in the examination of the subject.
d) Small group tutorials. They will be mandatory. Attendance will be documented by signature sheet.
e) Visual examination for species identification of the practical work. Mandatory. It will weight 5% in the final grade of the subject.
f) Final exam. Mandatory. It will include the evaluation of the material taught in the lectures and seminars. It will weight 50% in the final grade of the subject.
g) Individual practical work. It will correspond to a compulsory written work, related to the samplings carried out in the field practices. It will weight 40% in the final grade of the subject.
h) Optional Visu on fauna of the Iberian Peninsula. It will be voluntary. This exam will allow a maximum of 2 points to be raised in the final grade obtained with the other components mentioned above. This optional exam will only be taken at the first opportunity.
Students who do not pass the subject due to non-attendance or non-completion (without justification) of any of the compulsory activities will receive a maximum grade of 4.5 (failed). Obtaining a minimum grade of 5 points in the final exam and in the individual practical work will be a necessary, although not sufficient, condition to pass the subject. Except for exams, numerical grades of value ≥ 5 may be kept for the two courses following the one in which they were obtained. In case of not passing the practical part (mark less than 5 points), the exam mark (≥ 5 points) may be kept for the following course. In that case, to complete the approval of the subject, the student must submit a new practical work that obtains a grade equal to or greater than 5 points.
Second opportunity
The same criteria of the first opportunity will apply, except for the optional visual examination, which will only be carried out at the first opportunity.
STUDY AND PERSONAL WORK
CLASSROOM WORK H INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP WORK H
Master class 26 Individual study 54.5
Field work 8 Written works 15
Seminars 5
Tutoring 2
Exam 2
TRABAJO EN AULA 43 PERSONAL WORK 69.5
• Attendance at all teaching activities.
• Consultation of the recommended bibliography.
• Frequent use of tutorials for any type of matter related to the subject.
All documents related to the subject will be available to the student through the Moodle platform. The communication channels with the teacher, in addition to face-to-face, will be email and the MS-teams application).
| 06.03.2025 10:00-14:00 | Grupo de examen | Classroom 12.Vasili Dokucháyev |
| 07.14.2025 10:00-14:00 | Grupo de examen | Aula 11 |