00248 - Ecology

Academic Year 2010/2011

  • Docente: Corrado Piccinetti
  • Credits: 6
  • SSD: BIO/07
  • Language: Italian
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Natural Sciences (cod. 8016)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the class, the student will be able to understand the likely additions between environmental components and living organisms to determine the biological communities and their becoming. Besides, through some applied ecology issues, the student will be conscious of the factor complexity that has to be considered to address the human intervention.

Course contents

Introduction to ecology. Ecosystem and its components. Ecosystem abiotic factors and their influence on the biological component. Temperature. Lighting. Soil. Atmosphere. Water. Climate. Constraining factors. Biogeochemical cycles.  Food chains. Aquatic ecosystems. Plankton. Benthos. Nekton. Running and stagnant waters. Terrestrial ecosystems. Succession of communities. Population dynamic. Growth, age classes, age determination. Birth rate. Mortality. Population fluctuations. Pollution: sewage waters, MSW (municipal solid waste) disposal, controlled landfill. Marine pollution.

Readings/Bibliography

ODUM E.D. – 2001- Ecologia, un ponte tra scienza e società. Ed. Piccin, Padova

MILLER G.T. – 1997- Ambiente, risorse, sostenibilità. Ed. Piccin, Padova

BULLINI L., PIGNATTI S., VIZZO DE SANTO A. – 1998 – Ecologia generale. UTET, Torino

CHAPMANN J.L., REISS M.J. – 1994 – Ecologia (principi ed applicazioni). Zanichelli Bologna

PROVINI A., GALASSI S., MARCHETTI R. – 1998 – Ecologia applicata. Città Studi Edizioni, Milano

Teaching methods

Lectures. Transparencies and videos projection in case.

Assessment methods

Oral exam

Teaching tools

Overhead and video projector

Office hours

See the website of Corrado Piccinetti