Teaching plan

• Introduction to marine and freshwater zoobenthos

• Concepts and characteristics of benthic communities

• Ecological and economic importance of benthic organisms

• Role of benthic organisms in aquatic ecosystems

• Zoobenthos sampling strategies

• Sampling methods in marine and freshwater environments

• Sampling in different substrates

• Equipment and materials used

• Initial sample sorting

• Techniques for washing and separating organisms

• Preservation and storage methods

• Methods for counting benthic organisms

• Estimation of abundance and density

• Density calculations

• Principles of taxonomic identification

• Use of dichotomous keys and specialized guides

• Morphological characteristics of the main groups

• Identification of marine zoobenthos

• Identification of freshwater zoobenthos

• Diversity and structure of benthic communities

• Ecological indices applied to zoobenthos

• Biological indicators of environmental quality

• Interpretation of results