ECO-ETOLOGIA

The course aims to provide students with the tools to understand:

- the role of behavior in the characterization of animal species

- the processes that govern the success of behavioral modules of animals in their environment, and their evolution over time

- how the behavior of non-human animals is comparable with that of the human species

- how the human species enters right into the animal kingdom, without having minimally impaired its image.

The course will be kept as a series of lessons in Italian

Should teaching be carried out in mixed mode or remotely, it may be necessary to introduce changes with respect to previous statements, in line with the programme planned and outlined in the syllabus.

The course provides the student with the basics of the study of animal behavior, starting from the first ethologists up to the latest developments, to reach the current knowledge. In particular, after a presentation of the classical themes of ethology, such as instinct and learning, genetics and behavioral evolution, the most relevant modules will be dealt with in the various behavioral spheres, from the self-protective to the alimentary, from the reproductive to the social modules.

Some of these books are suggested:

1. ALCOCK, J. – 2007 - Etologia. Un approccio evolutivo – Zanichelli

2. CAMPAN, R. & SCAPINI, F. - 2005 – Etologia – Zanichelli

3. EIBL-EIBESFELDT, I. – 2001 - Etologia umana. Le basi biologiche e culturali del comportamento.- Bollati Boringhieri

4. MANNING, A. & DAWKINS, M. S.– 2015 -. Il comportamento animale – Boringhieri

5. IMMELMANN, K. – 1988 -. Introduzione all’etologia – Bollati Boringhieri

6. MAINARDI, D. (a cura di) – 1997 -. Dizionario di Etologia – Einaudi