UE5 Microbial diversity and microbial circulation in ecosystems

The students will acquire practical and theoretical competences in microorganism diversity and phylogeny. They will use current methods available to analyze taxonomic and functional diversity of different groups of microorganisms in the environment, including soil, the human body and food. They will be able to assess the roles of microorganisms in ecosystem function and dysfunction as well as their movement among and within habitats. 

Programm :

Lectures (20h) 

Stress response and adaptation (6h). 

Oxidative stress (2h). 

Structural microbiology (2h). 

Adaptation of soil microorganisms to biodegradation and resistance to different xenobiotics (2h). 

Microbial ecology of soil systems disturbed by heavy metals (2h). 

Antibiotics and alternatives (4h). 

Transfer of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria between animals, the environment and humans (2h).

Tutorials (8h) 

Analysis of articles (writing and oral presentation). 

Practice (20h) 

Stress response and adaptation studied using microbiological methods and molecular biology. 

Applying theoretical concepts of microbial ecology. 

 Conceiving and preparing experiments on microbial diversity and evolution.  

 Handling and following a protocol with respect to health, safety and sterility rules. 

 Obtaining, analyzing and validating experimental results to draw conclusions.  

 Analyzing, interpreting and reporting scientific data in microbial ecology in the context of current research, presenting them in English to a scientific audience. 

Basic skills in microbiology and molecular biology. 

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