Duration
20h Th, 6h Pr
Number of credits
| Bachelor in veterinary medicine | 2 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The main objective of the course is to provide a general overview of the living world. It begins by introducing the key principles underlying evolution and biodiversity, then addresses the origin of life and methods for classifying living organisms, before providing an overview of current biodiversity and how it has evolved, from prokaryotes to the human species. The practical sessions are designed to illustrate the theoretical lectures.
Chapter 1: Mechanisms of Evolution (2 hours)
- Descent with modification
- Population evolution
- Origin of species
- Origin of Life and the Tree of Life
- Bacteria and Archaea
- Origin of Eukaryotes
- Eukaryotic Supergroups
- Origin of Plants and Colonization of Terrestrial Environments
- Evolution of Seed Plants and Plant Reproduction
- Plants and Animal Nutrition
- Lab: Visit to the OMP (1h30)
- Lab: Flowers and Fruits (3h)
Chapter 6: Animal Diversity (6 hours)
- Origin of Animals
- Non-Deuterostome Animals
- Deuterostome Animals
- Lab: Visit to the Aquarium and the Zoology Museum (1 hour 30 minutes)
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
By the end of this course unit, students will:
- have a general understanding of the living world, beyond just animals;
- be able to identify, within today's biodiversity, the groups of organisms with which animals interact: prey, predators, symbionts, parasites, pathogens, and habitats.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Course "Cell and genetic biology" [BIOL2221-1] of Prof. M. Hanikenne.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Attendance at practical sessions is mandatory. Any absence due to medical or family reasons must be justified by submitting a valid medical certificate to the Student Office of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (secretariatetudiant.fmv@uliege.be), as well as by sending a copy of this certificate to Mr. Sébastien Brouwers (s.brouwers@uliege.be). All certificates must be submitted within one week of the resumption of classes; otherwise, they will be considered invalid. The following are considered valid certificates: a medical certificate dated no later than one week after the date of the absence, a death certificate, or a certificate issued by public transit authorities in the event of a strike.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
The main reference book used in this course is:
- Lisa Urry, Michael Cain, Steven Wasserman, Peter Minorsky, Jane Reece « Biologie de Campbell », Ed. Pearson Education (11ème édition), ISBN-13: 978-2-7661-0403-1.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions )
Further information:
You will be tested on this version of the course (2026-2027) during the exam and the competitive exam. It is therefore safer not to rely on older teaching materials (e.g., podcasts, "pirated" summaries, answered multiple-choice questions).
The slides are often (much) more comprehensive than necessary. So listen carefully to the lecture to identify the key concepts and use the sample questions provided via Wooclap and on eCampus to tailor your study plan.
This course introduces many names of organisms and groups of organisms in Latin (and in French). What is expected of you is passive knowledge: you should be able to recognize and use them, but not recite or write them out, except in rare cases that will be specified during the course.
It will be much easier for you to memorize scientific vocabulary if you learn a little about Greco-Latin etymology. Visit eCampus to discover resources specifically designed for this purpose (vocabulary lists and Quizlet flashcards).
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
Prof. Denis Baurain
Institut de Botanique B22 (P70)
denis.baurain@uliege.be
Mr. Sébastien Brouwers (secretary)
S.Brouwers@uliege.be