ECOLOGY
Academic year and teacher
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2022/2023
- Teacher
- GIUSEPPE CASTALDELLI
- Credits
- 9
- Didactic period
- Secondo Semestre
- SSD
- BIO/07
Training objectives
- Aims
The class, the first in the environmental field within the Biology course at UniFe, starts from the first ecological theories, retracing their theoretical development, analyzes in detail the fundamental components of ecosystems, communities and habitats, and studies the processes that characterize the functioning and evolution of ecosystems. The applications of these basic principles to the understanding of environmental and social problems are used to contextualize the theoretical part, associating it with practical cases. Examples are the mitigation strategies of environmental emergencies and the quantification of the ecosystem services offered by natural capital to human society.
At the end of the course, therefore, the student will know
. ecological terminology
. basic principles of ecology
. basic principles relating to the most pressing environmental problems
She/he will then be able to process independently
. evaluation of ecosystem functioning and structure
. frame possible strategies for addressing local or general environmental problems.
In particular, the more applicative topics and practical exercises will constitute a cultural and methodological basis for the construction of didactic paths in biology and experimental approaches both in laboratory and in nature. Prerequisites
- Requirements
The students must have knowledge of physics, mathematics and chemistry (at the high school level). Basic knowledge of biology is also required, in order to be able to understand the concepts related to the animal, plant and microbial components of the ecosystems. Course programme
- The program consists of three main blocks.
The first, more theoretical, is divided into the following themes:
- definitions and brief historical introduction
- the main physical determinants of Earth resources and the distribution of organisms
- Primary Production and Secondary Production of ecosystems.
- the most relevant theories in ecology
- the Ecology of populations and communities; population dynamics, competition, predation, parasitism
A second block of topics follows, in which the examination of case studies or detailed aspects will allow us to establish general theories, applying them to aspects closer to us because placed in the environment around us:
- nutrient cycles and eutrophication
- the lake ecosystem
- the lake ecosystem
- regulations and principles of biological water treatment: water purification and waste water treatment
- biodiversity and the main causes of its loss
- ecotoxicology
- ecosystem services
- the circular economy and sustainability
- the case study of the Po delta, a heavily altered ecosystem where species and man have adapted themselves.
The practical part (8 hours) takes place in the laboratory and an aquatic ecosystem is studied, usually a river, the habitat is analyzed with reference to the basic chemical and physical parameters (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen), animal communities (macrobenthos, plankton and fish) and the main processes (primary productivity and decomposition / mineralization). Students are led to express a quality score on the analyzed ecosystem. Didactic methods
- Teaching methods
9 CFU (72 hours, at least 8 of them of experimental work). Weekly classes must be attended, one hour per month may be dedicated to the discussion of topics in applied ecology (if requested by the students). Students may contribute to the discussion with a a Power-point presentation on current topics in ecological research. Learning assessment procedures
- Exam
The aim of the examination, is to verify the level of knowledge and study of the topics of the course and to assess the capacity for critical analysis developed during the course, also in terms of resolution cases of human impact. At the end of the course there will be the possibility to take the exam (June, July and September). A further exam session will be given out of the teaching period, in January and February.
Written examination: 25 multiple choice questions (4 multiple choices, one of which is correct), with 1.3 points given for each correct question. Four questions may relate to the field and laboratory methods studied in the laboratory credit. Wrong answers are not assigned to a negative value and sufficiency is reached with 18. Reference texts
- Pusceddu, Sarà, Viaroli – Ecologia – UTET Università 2020
Odum e Barrett – Fondamenti di Ecologia – Piccin 2007 (cap. 9, 11, 12 solo da leggere)
