99148 - ECOLOGY OF COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS

Learning outcomes

Students will gain an overall understanding of the state of the coastal ecosystems, how they are affected bylocal and global anthropogenicdisturbancesand what are the ecological methods for their monitoring, management, and conservation. At the end of the course, students will know the main marine coastal ecosystems, their associated communities, and the functions of these systems. They will learn to implement bioassessment methods and the integrated approaches to monitor these ecosystems. Finally, they will gain knowledge on the principles of conservation biology, on threats to marine biodiversity, and the ecological approaches to conserve it.

Course contents

Module 1: Structure and process of coastal ecosystems (Prof. Massimo Ponti)

The lectures will cover a variety of coastal habitats (e.g., intertidal and subtidal rocky bottoms, estuaries and coastal lagoons, seagrass meadows, biogenic reefs, artificial habitats). For each habitat we be analysed:

• environmental characteristics

• main communities, their structure and distribution

• main ecological processes and functioning, with emphasis on experimental work focusing on some particularly well studied processes

Structural levels of biodiversity. Threats to biodiversity (habitat fragmentation and loss, climate change, overexploitation of resources). Introduced and invasive species. Fundamentals of biological conservation: definition, principles, and objectives.

Module 2: Ecological methods for monitoring coastal ecosystems (Prof. Andrea Pasteris)

Environmental biomonitoring: definition, objectives, possible approaches.

Status of surface, transitional and coastal water according to the EU Water Framework Directive.

Chemical status and environmental quality standards.

Toxicity testing and toxicity values as tools for the setting of environmental quality standards.

Different approaches for the setting of environmental quality standards

Ecological status: biological, hydromorphological, physico-chemical quality elements.

The reference condition and the development of bioassessment methods: study cases.

Toxicity tests as tools for environmental biomonitoring.

Readings/Bibliography

• Bertness et al. (Editors) 2013 Marine Community Ecology and Conservation. Sinauer Associates Inc. 560 pp. ISBN-13: 978-1605352282

• Introduction to conservation biology - 2016 - Richard B Primack; Anna Sher Sunderland, MA - Sinaue

Specifically selected scientific papers will be provided.

Teaching methods

Frontal teaching and interactive discussion groups.

Assessment methods

The exam includes a preliminary written multiple-choice test and then the discussion of a case study chosen by the student taking inspiration from a scientific article relevant to the subject. The candidate must provide the teachers with the chosen title and article for their approval, at least 10 days before the exam. The discussion can be supported by images and graphs in MS Power Point or PDF (presentation of about 15 minutes).

For the written test, each correct answer is awarded one point, and each incorrect answer is awarded zero points. Answering all questions correctly results in a score of 31. Students must obtain a score of at least 18 in the written exam to be admitted to the oral exam.

The following elements will be considered in the oral exam:

• Organization and effectiveness of the presentation
• Knowledge of the content of the article presented, including detailed technical aspects
• The student's ability to contextualize the content of the article presented within the topics covered in the course
• The student's ability to critically evaluate the content of the article and identify its strengths and limitations.

The final grade is the average of the marks obtained in the written test and in the presentation.

Regarding learning assessments, the use of AI is prohibited. Any use constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

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) 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.

The dates of the exams will be published on the almaesami website. Students can book for the exams exclusively using the methods provided by the online almaesami system.

Teaching tools

The teaching material (e.g., powerpoint presentations) will be made available on the e-learning platform of UNIBO.

Office hours

See the website of Massimo Ponti

See the website of Andrea Pasteris