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88369 - ECOLOGY

Academic Year 2020/2021

                
                        Docente:
                        Bruna Gumiero
                    
                        Credits:
                        6
                    
                        SSD:
                        BIO/07
                    
                        Language:
                        English
                    
                        Teaching Mode:
                        Traditional lectures
                        
                            Campus:
                            Bologna
                        
                            Corso:
                            Second cycle degree programme (LM) in
                            Low Carbon Technologies and Sustainable Chemistry (cod. 9246)

                            Teaching resources on Virtuale

Learning outcomes

The course is aimed at the comprehension of the fundamental principles of how ecological systems work. It will focus on the ecological problems caused by human activities as well. Fundamental and applied aspect of ecology will be empathized. An understanding of the scope of the problems facing us (climate change, unsustainable use of resources, pollution, extinctions and the erosion of natural biodiversity) and the means to counter and solve these problems depend on a proper grasp of ecological fundamentals. Although we will analyze all the main types of ecosystems, we will work in particular on river ecosystems and their basin. We will cover concepts such as sustainable development, ecosystem services, environmental monitoring in detail.

Course contents

The course is divided in five sections: 1) In the introduction we dial with what ecology is and also how ecologists do it. It then introduce ‘Ecology’s evolutionary backdrop’ and show that ecologists need a full understanding of the evolutionary biologist’s discipline in order to make sense of patterns and processes in nature. 2) conditions and resources and how they both influence individual species. 3) the ecology of individual organisms, species, communities and ecosystems. To understand patterns and processes at each of these levels we need to know the behaviour of the level below. 4) Since river ecosystems and their territory directly affect our daily lives, we will deepen their study and analyze how to manage and restore them in a sustainable way. 5) knowledge and understanding of applied questions like: sustainability and agenda 2030 with its 17SDGs, eco system services, environmental monitoring.

Contents

Ecology and how to do it