Curriculum for Careers in Life and Earth Sciences Education

This course is a cross-disciplinary course in L2 SV aimed at providing biology students with a fundamental knowledge base on plant functioning, enabling them to understand current issues in plant agricultural sciences.

The following basic concepts of Plant Physiology/Functional Biology will be studied: 

Essential experimental approaches: plant transgenesis, forward and reverse genetics

basics of autotrophy

mechanisms underlying the major stages of angiosperm development: meristem function, floral transition, fertilization.

auxin, a major hormone for plant development and their response to the abiotic environment

The practical sessions will enable students to manipulate the regulation of plant water nutrition and analyze their mineral nutrition using various biochemical assays (flame photometry, spectrophotometry). 

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Description of the EU (max. 10 lines):

The aim of this EU is to explain how to measure variation in biology and how it can be represented. It is based on concrete examples from various disciplines of biology (ecology, developmental biology, evolution, genetics, physiology) and provides the statistical tools to measure this variation and the graphical methods to represent it. The statistical concepts of sampling, inference, distribution, central tendency, dispersion, distribution function, parameters, confidence interval, and dependence between variables for different types of variables (binomial, discrete, continuous) are explained using tutorials based on biological problems.

Skills targeted by the EU (see skills reference framework):

- Descriptive analytical tools in biology, introduction to biostatistics through the analysis of biological patterns

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This course brings together three complementary and fundamental disciplines of Earth sciences: sedimentology, tectonics, and cartography. The different types of sedimentary rocks will be taught in detail in order to interpret their formation context and associated processes. The subjects of ductile and brittle tectonics will also be addressed at different scales in order to establish their formation context, particularly in terms of stress regimes. Practical work on samples will be carried out in parallel to enable students to develop their observation and drawing skills and to make use of the rich collections available in the department. Finally, an introduction to reading and working with geological maps (diagrams, cross-sections) will be provided, applying the concepts of sedimentology and tectonics previously acquired. This course unit should enable students to define the broad outlines of the geological history of a given region.

Hourly volumes:

• CM: 12
• TD: 3
• TP: 21

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This EU is the complementary practical application of EU Description of Variability 1 (HAV312B).

The construction and analysis of datasets is carried out using practical work in the R software, drawing parallels with the tutorials, as well as obtaining graphs and numerical parameters to characterize the samples and their variability.

Skills targeted by the EU (see skills reference framework):

- Descriptive analytical tools in biology, introduction to biostatistics through the analysis of biological patterns

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This course is an introduction to the general concepts of scientific ecology: levels of organization, biodiversity measurement and conservation, biogeography, biotic and abiotic factors affecting biodiversity distribution and dynamics. It also provides an understanding of the methods used in scientific ecology: the value of experimentation, reflection on protocol development, data analysis, and oral and written reports on experiments.

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The EU addresses theoretical concepts in plant biology, using the group of Spermatophytes as a model. It aims to define the concepts and specific vocabulary of morphology, anatomy, reproduction, and biological cycles.

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The EU is interested in describing the morpho-anatomical characteristics of the major organizational plans of metazoans found in current and past faunas, as well as explaining their origin and the dynamics of their appearance. It is thus developing a vision of organisms based on paleontology and zoology. It will mainly address the origin of metazoans and the main divisions, namely diploblasts and triploblasts, as well as basic concepts relating to the positioning and phylogenetic relationships between taxa (mono- and paraphyly, evolutionary convergence, etc.). It is traditionally divided into lectures, tutorials that mainly aim to illustrate and support aspects related to the biodiversity of taxa, and practical work in sessions aimed at acquiring skills, particularly and necessarily in dissection.

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EUobjectives: Comparative study of major physiological functions in animals in relation to their environment. Study of structures and functions at various levels of integration, from the organism to the molecule.

Models discussed: mammals compared with other vertebrate models (teleosts, etc.) and invertebrate models (insects, crustaceans, mollusks, etc.).

Description: This course unit will cover certain major physiological functions (respiration, nutrition, excretion, and water and mineral regulation) as well as the basics of immunology and regulatory systems (nervous system and chemical communication). In addition to lectures, students will work in groups on various topics proposed by the instructors. They will present the topics in the form of presentations and summarize the key points to remember in a written summary. Practical work and tutorials will also be offered to illustrate the lectures.

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The EU extends an EU from L2 S3 focusing on describing the morpho-anatomical characteristics of the major organizational plans of metazoans found in current and past faunas, as well as explaining their origin and dynamics of appearance through the acquisition of skills in paleontology and zoology. In S4, it will mainly explore the major subdivisions within protostome organisms, namely lophotrochozoans (annelids, mollusks, brachiopods, etc.) and ecdysozoans (arthropods, nematodes, etc.), while highlighting their phylogenetic relationships and their socio-economic importance or impact. The course is traditionally divided into lectures and tutorials, which will mainly aim to illustrate and support aspects related to the biodiversity of taxa, and practical work in sessions aimed at acquiring skills, in particular and necessarily through the performance of certain dissections.

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The aim of this course is to introduce the concepts and tools used to observe and describe minerals and magmatic and metamorphic rocks and to understand their formation. The course will begin with an introduction to the concepts of mineralogy (crystallography, crystal chemistry) and the tools needed to identify the minerals that make up magmatic and metamorphic rocks. You will then study the structure and nature of the mantle and the processes involved from the formation of magmas to the eruption of magmatic rocks: partial melting, crystallization, crustal assimilation, and magmatic mixing. You will learn to distinguish between different magmatic series based on their chemical compositions and physical properties. The link between eruptive processes, hazards, and volcanic risks will also be discussed. In the third part, we will introduce the main variables (pressure, temperature, time) and the different geodynamic contexts of metamorphism. We will look at the different metamorphic facies, the structures and textures of metamorphic rocks, and you will learn to recognize mineral reactions and interpret them in terms of metamorphic evolution.

The combined study of magmatic and metamorphic rocks will provide the basis for understanding issues related to the geodynamics of the Earth's interior, geochemical cycles, mineral resources, etc.

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The objective of this EU is to understand evolutionary processes at both the micro- and macro-evolutionary scales.

Using examples, manipulations, and accessible modeling, the lessons will aim to present in a concrete and quantitative manner the effects of the four evolutionary forces operating at the individual and population levels (mutation, migration, selection, and drift). The integration of these microevolutionary processes on larger time scales (e.g., differentiation between lineages, speciation) will then be addressed. Finally, the course will include an introduction to phylogenetics tools (reading and constructing trees) for studying macroevolutionary events (diversification, extinction) and tracing changes in character states, in particular by integrating fossil data.

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This is a general education course that will cover many current topics related to human health. This course will address a wide variety of topics in the form of 1.5-hour mini-seminars, using both a pragmatic and critical approach. The numerous speakers in this course will contribute their expertise on topics such as immunity, molecular biology, cancer, nutrition, diagnosis, vaccination, bioethics, ecology, neuroscience, emerging diseases, and current and future therapeutic treatments. Each lecture will not only aim to provide cutting-edge knowledge and engage in critical analysis of their subjects, but also to guide students in researching and filtering scientific information in order to combat misinformation. On the major challenges of human health in the 21st century, we will address the real issues, the false controversies, and the solutions we can bring to them. 

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In this course, students will learn about the links between an individual's genetic heritage and the development of their morphology, physiology, and lifestyle. We will focus on understanding the links between the information carried by the genome and the life cycle of the organism in question, including the cellular characteristics corresponding to the expression of genetic information. This data will be placed in an evolutionary context and will shed light on some major evolutionary transitions, particularly in metazoans.

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This course is a natural continuation of the course "Description of Variability" presented in S3. Its objective is to provide the concepts and methods on which modern biostatistics are based, namely the quantification of randomness, which is a ubiquitous issue in the life sciences. This course will serve as an introduction to inferential statistics: parametric and non-parametric tests, linear regression, and analysis of variance. Particular attention will be paid to the conditions for applying these methods, as well as to the concepts of type I and II errors, power, replication, and confidence intervals. Each concept will be illustrated with analyses of real and diverse biological data, contributing to the biostatistical culture that is useful for developing critical thinking with regard to scientific results. Practical work using R will provide training in this reference language and the statistical tools implemented in it, as well as an understanding of what has been seen in class through the application of the methods presented.

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The EU addresses the different groups of plants ("algae," "cryptogams," spermatophytes), specifying for each of them their phylogenetic position and nature (monophyletic or paraphyletic group), their origin, and their specific characteristics in terms of morphology, anatomy, reproduction, and ecology.

Four grades present the different groups of plants: Grade 4, diversity of "algae"; Grade 5, biological cycles of "algae"; Grade 6, "cryptogams"; Grade 7, spermatophytes.

Six tutorials cover cross-disciplinary concepts based on oral and written exercises: Tutorial 1, Biological Cycles; Tutorial 2, Endosymbiosis; Tutorial 3, Interactions; Tutorial 4, Adaptation; Tutorial 5, Polyploidy; Tutorial 6, Phylogeny.

Six practical sessions illustrate the concepts covered in lectures and tutorials using living material: PS1, "algae"1; PS2, "algae"2; PS3, "bryophytes"; PS4, "pteridophytes"; PS5, Gymnosperms, vegetative system; PS6, Gymnosperms, reproduction.

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This course builds on the Evolutionary Foundations course to introduce key concepts in evolutionary ecology in order to understand and formalize, in a simple way, the evolutionary and ecological mechanisms that shape biodiversity at different scales of integration.

This course unit is designed as a coherent whole, with lectures, tutorials, and practicals complementing each other. Concepts are introduced through examples and then formalized using mathematical models, which are tested against experiments and real-world data.

It will cover population dynamics (intra- and interspecific competition) and ecological niche, and will detail the mechanisms of evolution and their genetic consequences at the population level: natural selection (including sexual selection), the influence of reproductive regimes, and genetic drift. The tutorials will enable students to grasp the mathematical formalization of concepts covered in class and their simple computer modeling, as well as data set analysis. The practicals will enable small groups to carry out and analyze two experiments, each lasting one month (with a report and oral presentation), in order to develop scientific methodology and reasoning.

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The EU is organized into five main themes:

Topic 1: Genetic mapping and recombination. Concepts of molecular biology related to gene expression, DNA repair, and epigenetic processes.

Theme 2: Introduction to molecular evolution: Measuring the intensity of selection in genetic divergence. Molecular clock and variation in rates of evolution created by the action of natural selection. Neutral theory of evolution.

Theme 3: Introduction to genomics: composition and size of genomes. Importance of repeated elements. Concept of genetic linkage and local selection effects. Influence of demography.

Theme 4: Molecular tools for biodiversity: Barcoding, eDNA, metabarcoding. Molecular taxonomy. Limitations related to hybridization. Applications in conservation.

Theme 5: Extranuclear heredity . Symbiosis, parasitism, and co-evolution (intracellular: e.g., Wolbachia). Extended concept of phenotype.

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Genesis, nature, and future of deposits in sedimentary basins.

Series of 15 lectures/conferences/debates and practical/tutorial sessions

Course content / Integrated practicals / Tutorials (sedimentary basins, continental weathering,

sediment transport, detrital and carbonate environments, factors affecting sedimentation: Sequential stratigraphy, diagenesis)

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This teaching unit will aim to address the elements necessary for understanding the lifestyle of large groups of single-celled organisms that form the basis of ecosystem functioning (viruses, bacteria, archaea, and single-celled eukaryotes, etc.). The courses cover the biological organization of each type of organism, their modes of reproduction, and their diversity, leading to concepts of ecology. We will discuss the role of these microorganisms in the functioning and dynamics of ecosystems, considering the interactions that these organisms have with other living beings (the concept of "symbiosis" in all its forms).

The practical work will enable:

 - the implementation of techniques enabling bacterial enumeration (CFU) and the identification of a particular strain from an environmental sample

 - highlighting the diversity of phytoplankton (single-celled algae) in aquatic environments (freshwater)

 - highlighting the specificity of interactions between bacteria and bacteriophages

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The main objective is to learn the basics of comparative anatomy of chordates, so that they can be compared and classified, before tracing the key stages of their evolutionary history. The lessons are integrative in that they draw on both current organisms and the fossil record to document the evolutionary history of the clade in its entirety and in all its aspects. Anatomical, biomechanical, phylogenetic, and ecomorphological approaches will be addressed in lectures to illustrate the diversity and major characteristics of chordates. Practical work (and tutorials) will illustrate the evolution of the diversity of integuments, the skeleton, musculature, and the digestive and respiratory systems over long periods of time.

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The EU aims to provide an overview of the diversity of angiosperms, approached both through the prism of the most recent phylogenies proposed bythe Angiosperm Phylogeny Group ( APG). This phylogenetic framework will be supported throughout the EU by concrete observation of the vegetative and floral characteristics of a selection of taxa distributed across the entire phylogeny, in order to identify the synapomorphies of the main clades, any homoplasies, and adaptations (floral biology, pollination, trophic interactions, etc.).

Students also learn about the diversity of angiosperms from a floristic perspective by creating a herbarium of species generally found in the Mediterranean region. This gives them an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the use of a flora and digital identification tools (Pl@ntNet, e-Flore by Tela Botanica, etc.).

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- difference between weather and climate

- structure of the atmosphere, radiation balance, greenhouse effect, wind circulation, low-pressure systems/high-pressure systems, tropical cyclones, tornadoes

- general ocean circulation (Munk, major currents, Conveyor Belt)

- geographic distribution and definition of climates

- current climate change

- global water cycle, hydrological balance, water balance, energy balance above a cultivated plot to estimate evapotranspiration

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