Teaching

CLASSES OF ECOLOGY

8 cfu (56 h)

Programme:

  1. THE NATURE OF ECOLOGY
  2. THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
  3. THE ORGANISMS AND ENVIRONMENT
    (ecological genetics, plant adaptation, animal adaptation)
  4. ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY
    (ecosystem energetics, decomposition and nutrient cycling, biogeochemical cycles)
  5.  POPULATIONS
    (properties of populations, population growth, life history, intraspecific population, regulation, metapopulations)
  6. SPECIES INTERACTIONS
    (species interaction, population dynamics, natural selection, interspecific competition, predation, parasitism and mutualism)
  7. COMMUNITY ECOLOGY
    (community structure, factors influencing the community structure, community dynamics)
  8. ECOLOGICAL BIOGEOGRAPHY
    (terrestrial ecosystems, coastal and wetland ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, large-scale patterns of biological diversity)
  9. HUMAN ECOLOGY
    (population growth, resource use and sustainability, global climate change)

 

Goals of the course

The learning objectives of the course are intended to introduce students to the Ecology, i.e. Populations, Community Ecology, Ecosystem Ecology.
The topics covered include the typologies of environments, ecological genetics, population concepts, species interaction properties, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, ecological biogeography and human ecology.
Lectures will emphasize the modern approaches of methodologies for the comprehension of ecosystem functioning. Marine aquatic ecosystems will be particularly traited.
Students will need to show that they have acquired a good basic knowledge of structure and function of the ecosystems, as well as of the principal methods used for the analysis and applications.
Lectures. Lab experiences, and sampling trip by boat.

 

TextBooks:

– Smith & Smith, Elementi di Ecologia, Pearson
– L’essenziale di ecologia. Townsend, Harper & Begon, Zanichelli
– Fondamenti di ecologia. Cunningham, Cunningham & Saigo, McGraw-Hill
– Ecologia. Ricklefs, Zanichelli
– Ecologia – Individui, popolazioni, comunità. Begon, Harper & Townsend, Zanichelli
– Ecologia – Dagli organismi agli ecosistemi. Chelazzi,Provini & Santini, CEA
– Ecologia. Odum, Piccin (2000 e 1966)
– Lezioni di Ecologia. Almo Farina, UTET
– Basi di Ecologia. Odum, Piccin