Diversity and evolution of present and past metazoans N2

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.

- Understand the current and past biodiversity of metazoans;

- Learn about/reinforce knowledge of the major stages in the history of metazoans (appearance, organization, extinctions, diversification of groups considered in the EU);

- Learn/reinforce knowledge and skills related to the taxonomy of major groups of metazoans and their phylogenetic relationships;

- Know how to use techniques for exploring organisms at the organism level, including how to prepare, observe, describe, quantify, and interpret specimen sections or whole specimens, and how to implement a dissection technique;

- Be able to identify and name the diagnostic anatomical characteristics of the main taxa from a specimen of a metazoan (complete or incomplete, living or fossil).

- Know how to represent information in an illustrated form, particularly in graphic or schematic form, and in the form of observational drawings in a lab report;

- Know how to use both formal and informal registers of written and spoken French, incorporating vocabulary specific to the description of metazoans in current and past contexts.

- Grade >8/20 in the course "Diversity and Evolution of Current and Past Metazoans - Level 1" in L2 S3 (exemption possible if integration requested during the academic year, after joint validation of skills by the course coordinators).

The practice of dissection is fundamental to illustrating and understanding many aspects of structure-function relationships, as well as to understanding differences/similarities between taxa through comparative approaches. Its practice is required in the EU. Failure to perform dissection during practical exams will result in a penalty in the grade for that exercise, as well as in any work requiring observations related to dissection (e.g., justification of an observation, completion of an observational drawing in a practical report).