97260 - Biogeography and Macroecology

Learning outcomes

The goal of the course is to provide to students an advanced knowledge about the biodiversity and geographic distribution of organisms, at different organization levels. The student will acquire a knowledge on how evolutionary, paleogeographic, paleoclimatic, and ecological factors have determined the present differential distribution of organisms on Earth. In addition, the student will acquire basic knowledge on the methods adopted for the quantitive study of present and historical biogeography, as well as the capacity to understand the factors determining the diversity and distribution of organisms in a predictive perspective.

Course contents

1. Introduction and historical overview

2. Patterns of species distribution and range distribution areas
   

3. Historical biogeography

4. Ecological biogeography

5. Spatial patterns of biodiversity in relation to latitude, climate and area

6. Relation between energy, productivity and biodiversity

7. Taxonomic and functional measures of biodiversity

8. Data sources in biogeography and macroecology

9. Partitioning of biodiversity in space and time

10. Island biogeography

11. Human impacts on biomes and ecosystems

12. Conservation biogeography

13. Group work projects
    

Readings/Bibliography

Lomolino M.V., Riddle B.R., Whittaker R.J., 2017. Biogeography: Biological Diversity Across Space and Time. Sinauer Associates

Gaston K.J., Blackburn T., 2008. Pattern and Process in Macroecology. John Wiley & Sons.

Hugget R., 2004. Fundamentals of Biogeography. Taylor & Francis.

Smith Felisa A., Gittleman JohnL., Brown James H. (2014) Foundations of Macroecology: Classic Papers with Commentaries. University of Chicago Press.

Various papers provided by the teacher.

Teaching methods

The course is organised into 16 class lectures given by the teacher with open discussion, 4 lectures based on assigned group discussion on selected topics, practical exercises for assembling and analysing example data set of biogeographical and macroecological patterns.

As concerns the teaching methods of this course unit, all students must attend Module 1, 2 online, while Module 3 on health and safety is to be attended in class for those students who wish to make also field work to deepen knowledge on the topic. Information about Module 3 attendance schedule is available on the website of your degree programme.

Assessment methods

Type of assessment: Written test at the first examination call and interview for all the subsequent examination calls.

Type of questions: open questions.

Description of evaluation: The written test and the interview aims to verify the acquisition by the students the fundamental theoretical knowledge on the topics discussed during the course and her/his capacity to use these knowledge to understand the major biogeographical and macroecological patterns as well as to apply this knowledge to some problems such as conservation planning. Particular attention will be given to the capacity of the student to use a hypothetico-deductive method of conducting science-based reasoning.

Teaching tools

Lecture presentations, textbbook, scientific papers, biogeographical and macroecological data sets, reports of group work.

Office hours

See the website of Alessandro Chiarucci