Naturalist Specialization 1

The objective is to provide students with knowledge on the biology, ecology and evolution of three taxonomic groups in question. Beyond the identification of species (which will be largely addressed), this course will deal with the evolution and systematics of the taxonomic group in question, fundamental ecology (evolutionary and functional ecology), applied ecology (conservation), physiology, legislation as well as methods of study and identification.

After a general introduction course, 2 axes of work will be proposed in parallel. One will focus on the Mediterranean flora, the other on the fauna (amphibians, reptiles and birds).

Flora

The French Mediterranean region contains more than 2/3 of the richness of the flora of metropolitan France. This course is an introduction to this exceptional diversity and to the underlying mechanisms. It is designed to enable students to 1. describe a plant in order to identify useful characteristics and 2. use different identification tools and understand their strengths and limitations. The teaching will integrate innovative pedagogical approaches, by coupling the use of traditional tools (paper flora) and digital tools (FloreNum, PlantNet), in order to allow a learning adapted to the knowledge of the student (from the beginner to the informed amateur). The identification of species will constitute a basis to study their biology, their ecology and to approach the concepts of evolution and phylogeny. For this, workshops will be conducted in parallel with the practical sessions: 1. construction of a morphological classification to be compared with the classical classifications (morphological and phylogenetic), 2. introduction to the ecology of species through a habitat approach, and 3. diachronic study of developmental biology by monitoring the growth of wild species planted under controlled conditions.

Animals

The objective is for the student to acquire/improve a body of knowledge on the biology of birds, amphibians and reptiles, which constitute models of choice in fundamental ecology (ethology, evolutionary ecology, functional ecology), applied ecology (conservation biology) and environmental education/teaching. Beyond the identification of species, this axis of work will deal with the evolution and systematics of these taxa, their physiology, their ecological and behavioral particularities.

Each group (Fauna - Flora) will have at its disposal 12 hours of field trips (half of which will be common to both groups) to be carried out according to modalities to be defined (4 half-day trips, or 2 long one-day trips). The practical work could be set up on sites of the university (university campus - Labex CEMEB experimental field at the CEFE - Botanical Garden) favourable to the study of the various organisms.

Cross-cutting concept

The UE is organized around a notion common to both groups of practical work which, through a reversed class, will allow to start from the observed species in order to identify central concepts in conservation biology. In S4, the distribution (chorology) and the notion of rarity at different spatial scales will be addressed. These notions will support methodological questions concerning the estimation of the abundance of organisms. For this, the students will present at the end of the sequence a taxon of their choice, among those proposed in the UE, which illustrates the notion of distribution.

- to have followed the naturalist UE of L1 (preferable but not obligatory)

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

Modality of the controls of knowledge :

Knowledge:

- Know the tools for describing biodiversity from the gene to the biosphere

- Know and know how to implement the different approaches and tools used in evolutionary biology and ecology: observation, sampling, experimentation and statistical analysis

- Know the applications of organism biology, evolutionary biology and ecology (health, agronomy, conservation, restoration)

- To know the mechanisms and processes at the origin of biodiversity

 Know-how :

- Know how to search for and extract information in a critical manner, prioritize sources of information and identify their reliability, and produce a synthesis

- Know how to make an oral presentation and a scientific written report, using illustrations and a presentation adapted to the public concerned, with the help of adapted computer tools

- Know how to carry out a project within a group

- Describe an organism and understand how the morphological characteristics identified allow the identification of species [out of reference].

Soft skills:

- Respecting others and the equipment and organizations you work with

- Be able to evaluate and challenge yourself to learn