Naturalist Specialization 1

The aim is to provide students with knowledge of the biology, ecology and evolution of the three taxonomic groups in question. In addition to species identification (which will be covered extensively), this course will cover the evolution and systematics of the taxonomic group in question, fundamental ecology (evolutionary and functional ecology), applied ecology (conservation), physiology, legislation and study and identification methods.

After a general introductory course, 2 parallel courses will be offered. One will focus on Mediterranean flora, the other on fauna (amphibians, reptiles and birds).

Flore

The French Mediterranean rim is home to more than 2/3 of the rich diversity of flora in mainland France. This course is an introduction to this exceptional diversity and its underlying mechanisms. It is designed to enable students 1. to describe a plant in such a way as to highlight the characteristics useful for identification, and 2. to use different determination tools and understand their strengths and limitations. Teaching will incorporate innovative teaching approaches, combining the use of traditional (paper flora) and digital (FloreNum, PlantNet) tools, to enable learning adapted to the student's knowledge (from beginner to enlightened amateur). Species identification will form the basis for studying their biology and ecology, as well as evolution and phylogeny. To this end, workshops will be held in parallel with the practical sessions: 1. construction of a morphological classification to be compared with classical classifications (morphological and phylogenetic), 2. introduction to species ecology through a habitat-based approach, and 3. diachronic study of developmental biology by monitoring the growth of wild species planted under controlled conditions.

Animals

The aim is for students to acquire/deepen a body of knowledge on the biology of birds, amphibians and reptiles, which are models of choice in fundamental ecology (ethology, evolutionary ecology, functional ecology), applied ecology (conservation biology) and environmental education/teaching. In addition to species identification, this line of work will address the evolution and systematics of these taxa, their physiology, and their ecological and behavioral particularities.

Each group (Fauna - Flora) will have at its disposal 12 hours of fieldwork (half of which will be common to both groups) to be carried out according to modalities to be defined (4 outings of 1/2 day, or 2 long outings of one day). Practical work can be carried out on university sites (university campus - Labex CEMEB experimental field at CEFE - Botanical Garden) that are suitable for studying different organisms.

Cross-cutting notion

The UE is organized around a notion common to both groups of practical work, which, through a reversed class, will enable us to use observed species as a starting point for identifying concepts central to conservation biology. In S4, the focus will be on distribution (chorology) and the notion of rarity at different spatial scales. These concepts will support methodological questions, notably concerning the estimation of organism abundance. To this end, at the end of the sequence, students will present a taxon of their choice, from among those proposed in the EU, which illustrates the notion of distribution.

- have taken the Naturalist UE in L1 (preferable but not compulsory)

- strongly recommended: experience in a naturalist association outside the GNUM.

Assessment of knowledge :

Knowledge :

- Knowledge of tools for describing biodiversity from the gene to the biosphere

- Know and be able to apply the various approaches and tools used in evolutionary biology and ecology: observation, sampling, experimentation and statistical analysis.

- Applications of organismal biology, evolutionary biology and ecology (health, agronomy, conservation, restoration)

- Understanding the mechanisms and processes behind biodiversity

 Know-how :

- Know how to search for and extract information critically, prioritize sources of information and identify their reliability, and produce a summary.

- Give an oral presentation and write a scientific report, using illustrations and a presentation adapted to the audience concerned, with the help of appropriate IT tools.

- Successful project management within a group

- Describe an organism and understand how morphological characteristics can be used to identify species [out of reference].

Soft skills :

- Respect others as well as the equipment and organizations you work with

- Be able to self-assess and challenge oneself in order to learn