37362 - Ecological Methods for Environmental Analysis and Management

Learning outcomes

After completing this course, the student has the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required to measure and predict the effects of human activities on populations, communities and ecosystems and to integrate this information in ways relevant to environmental management.

The student will be able to:
- implement bioassessment methods based on structural and functional characteristics of populations, communities, ecosystems;
- assess ecotoxicity;
- integrate information of different nature, using "weight of evidence” approaches;
- perform ecological risk assessment, both predictive and retrospective, in particular the analysis of the ecological effects of contaminants and other stressors;
- discriminate between natural variability and anthropogenic alteration and assess the impact of human activities on ecological systems, using appropriate sampling designs.

Course contents

The experimental measure of ecotoxicity:
- toxicity tests;
- application of statistical hypothesis testing to toxicity evaluation;
- evaluation and consequences of type I and type II errors;
- analysis of the exposure-response relationship;
- toxicity values (EC50, NOEC, LOEC);
- the species sensitivity distribution approach and estimation of the hazardous concentration.

Experimental and sampling design:
- basic principles;
- examples of specific experimental designs and their analysis.

Biomonitoring methods and ecological quality indices:
- the reference condition;
- the BEAST method;
- chemical quality criteria, the example of ERL and ERM;
- the multimetric approach, the Benthic Index of Biological Integrity (B-IBI);
- the RIVPACS method;
- toxicity tests as a biomonitoring tool.

Readings/Bibliography

Materials required for exam preparation (available on the Virtuale platform (https://virtuale.unibo.it):

• Copies of lecture slides.
• Worksheets and datasets for data analysis exercises.

Recommended materials, especially for non-attending students (available on Virtuale/Panopto):

• Video and audio recordings of lectures.

References for further study (articles from scientific journals, book chapters, technical reports relating to the individual case studies covered):

• Reynoldson T.B., Rosenberg D.M., Resh V.H. 2001. Comparison of models predicting invertebrate assemblages for biomonitoring in the Fraser River catchment, British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 58: 1395-1410. 
• Reynoldson T.B., Thompson SP, Milani D. 2002. Integrating multiple toxicological endpoints in a decision-making framework for contaminated sediments. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment 8: 1569-1584.
• Rosenberg D.M., Reynoldson T.B., Resh V.H. 1999. Establishing reference conditions for benthic invertebrate monitoring in the Fraser River catchment, British Columbia, Canada. DOE-FRAP 1998-32. Environment Canada.
• Van Dolah R.F., Hyland J.L., Holland A.F., Rosen J.S., Snoots T.R. 1999. A benthic index of biological integrity for assessing habitat quality in estuaries of the southeastern USA. Marine Environmental Research 48: 269–283.
• Wright J.F. 2000. An introduction to RIVPACS. In: Wright J.F., Sutcliffe D.W., Furse M.T. (eds): Assessing the biological quality of fresh waters: RIVPACS and other techniques (pp. 1-24). Freshwater Biological Association. 

Teaching methods

Lectures.

Data analysis classes in the computer room.

Both during the lectures and during the data analysis clesses student-teacher interaction and discussion between students is actively encouraged.

Lectures and data analysis classes will be recorded for the benefit of those students who may not be able to attend.

Given the type of activity and teaching methods adopted, attendance at this training program requires all students to participate in Modules 1 and 2 of the e-learning training on workplace safety (https://site.unibo.it/tutela-promozione-salute-sicurezza/it/corsi-di-formazione/formazione-obbligatoria-su-sicurezza-e-salute-per-svolgimento-di-tirocinio-tesi-laboratorio).

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of a mandatory oral test and an optional written test.
The written test can be taken either before or after the oral test.

Attendance at lectures and labs is not used as an evaluation criterion and has no direct impact on the grade assigned.
However, regular attendance, thanks also to direct interaction with the instructor, is believed to promote good preparation.
In particular, attendance at the data analysis classes allows students to work, together with the instructor, on exercises similar to those present in the written test.

The written test is computer-based and consists of a data analysis exercise similar to those completed during the data analysis classes.
The allotted time is 60 minutes.
To assign and assess the exercise, the Esami on Line platform (https://eol.unibo.it) is used.

With reference to the learning objectives, the written test is intended mainly to assess the degree of achievement of the skills.

The score obtained by completing the exercise correctly is 32. For each error, 1 to 3 points are deducted, depending on the severity (oversights or simple calculation errors: 1 point; conceptual errors or missing answers to questions: 2 or 3 points).
Students who do not take the written test are assigned a score of 18.

The oral test consists of two questions, each relating to one of the two main groups into which the course content is divided:
- experimental measurement of ecotoxicity and experimental design;
- biomonitoring methods and ecological quality indices.
The questions are chosen randomly from a repertoire prepared based on the course content and known to the students.
With reference to the learning objectives, the oral test is intended to assess both the level of knowledge and skills achieved.
The oral test lasts approximately 50 minutes.

The oral test is assigned a maximum score of 32. The test is considered passed if a score of 18 or higher is achieved.
Grade scale:
30-32: Complete and precise answers to all questions, orderly presentation using technically correct language, good ability to grasp connections between different topics in the syllabus.
28-29: Substantially complete answers with minor inaccuracies and/or small deficiencies in the presentation, good ability to grasp connections between different topics in the syllabus.
26-27: Substantially complete answers with significant inaccuracies and/or deficiencies in the presentation, adequate ability to grasp connections between different topics in the syllabus.
24-25: Incomplete or substantially inaccurate answers, confused presentation with poor command of language; the student nevertheless demonstrates a knowledge, albeit superficial, of all the topics covered in the questions.
18-23 incomplete or substantially inaccurate answers, confusing presentation with poor language skills, the student is unable to answer one or more topics covered in the questions.

The grade is the weighted average of:
- score achieved in the written test (weight: 1);
- score achieved in the oral test (weight: 4).

The assessment is expressed as a grade up to thirty cum laude.

Teaching tools

Classroom with computer connected to video projector.

Computer lab.

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Pasteris