This course gives a rigorous and most complete vision of the animal kingdom. The approach followed is evolutionary and comparative. The students should be able to rely on the notions of zoology seen during this course in order to understand and reframe the more specialised courses that they will follow later, notably parasitology, embryology or animal physiology
- provide an overview of the animal kingdom - compare the structures and functions of the major zoological groups - understand the basis of evolution and phylogenetic relationships between zoological groups - understand the life cycles of the main pests - understanding the ontogeny of a vertebrate
The main structures and functions of the major animal groups will be seen and compared with each other. Students should be able to answer questions such as: what is a diploblastic/triploblastic, acoelomate/pseudocoelomate/coelomate, protostomian/deuterostomian, radial symmetry/bilateral symmetry, what is a chordate, splanchnocranium/neurocranium, basic structures of the vertebrate nervous system, embryology of an amphibian, etc. Numerous examples will be taken from among the parasitic organisms.
The theory exam is in the form of a MCQ. Sample questions are seen during the theory course. There are 30 questions, each with 5 propositions of which only one is correct. The student has 90 minutes in total. Three scales are applied: 8 questions at scale +6 / 0 / -3; 14 at scale +4 / 0 / -2; 8 at scale +2 / 0 / -1. Practical work is assessed throughout the year. They account for 20% of the final mark. There is no exam for practical work as such. Nevertheless, 3 questions of the MCQ are directly related to the practical work. The student repeating the course may be exempted from the practical exercises if he/she has obtained a mark of at least 10/20 in the continuous assessment of the practical exercises. In this case, he/she must nevertheless answer the questions related to the practical exercises in the MCQ. No partial exemption from the theory course is granted. There is no second session organised for the continuous assessment of the practical courses. The student will keep the grade of the practical course if he/she presents a second session
- Campbell and Rice. Biology. 7th edition, Pearson. - Beaumont and Cassier. Animal biology. From protozoa to epithelial metazoa. Tome 1. Dunod. - Beaumont and Cassier. Animal biology. Les cordés: anatomie comparée des vertébrés. Dunod. - Ruppert and Barnes. Invertebrate zoology. Brooks Cole. - Lecointre and Le Guyader. Phylogenetic classification of living organisms. Belin.