59020 - Ecology and Nature Conservation

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, students are able to understand the possible integration between the environment and living organisms, and how these shape the biological communities and their dynamics. They are also aware of the complexity of the factors to be considered for a sustainable management of human interventions. Students will gain an overall understanding of state of the environment, its resources and its biodiversity, and the problems resulting from human impacts. In addition, they acquire notions regarding the conservation of species and ecosystems at risk

Course contents

1) Introduction: the cultural roots of ecology, the aims of ecology, the levels of ecological organization, temporal and spatial scales, ecology as a science, ecological methods and tools

2) The environment: the abiotic environment, the climate, the aquatic environment, the terrestrial environment

3) Interactions between organisms and their environment: principles of evolutionary ecology, adaptations of organisms to the environment, and life histories

4) Ecology of populations: population growth, the study of demography, exponential and logistic growth models, carrying capacity and intraspecific competition, the concept of metapopulation

5) biotic interactions: competition, predation, facilitation and other positive interactions, direct and indirect interactions

6) Ecological communities: community structure, the concept of biodiversity and diversity indices, ecological successions, disturbance and patch dynamics, factors maintaining diversity - the role of competition, disturbance and environmental heterogeneity

7) Ecology of ecosystems: the ecosystem concept, flows of energy in ecosystems, chains and food webs, decomposition, biogeochemical cycles, biodiversity and functioning, ecosystem functions and services

8) Introduction to conservation biology: Why conservation? The natural capital – identifying and estimating the value of ecosystem services

9) Threats to biological diversity – Habitat fragmentation and loss, habitat degradation and pollution, overexploitation of natural resources, invasive species, urbanisation and homogenisation

10) Vulnerability and conservation of populations – Species vulnerability and conservation status, biodiversity hotspots, minumum viable population, reintroduction of populations, conservation in situ and ex situ, success conservation stories

11) Vulnerability and conservation of habitats – Habitat vulnerability and conservation status, parks and protected areas, habitat restoration and novel habitats, spatial planning and sustainable development, success conservation stories

Readings/Bibliography

REFERENCE TEXT:

Elements of Ecology - 2009 - TM Smith, RL Smith. Pearson Education, Paperback

Biologia della Conservazione – 2013 – Richard B Primack, Luigi Boitani, Zanichelli

Other text noted: Donald Worster, History of Ecological Ideas, Il Mulino, Bologna 1994.

Other bibliographical material will be provided during the classes along with a copy of some power point presentations.

Teaching methods

The course is comprised of 8CFU.

These will be prevailingly in the form of frontal teaching, with the support of discussion groups of selected scientific papers of interest

Assessment methods

The exam will assess knowledge about the structure and functioning of natural systems (populations, communities, ecosystems), and their conservation. The final evaluation is expressed in 30ies.

There will be 1 written exam session (which will take place at the end of the course tentatively in February and will include about 25 questions both closed and open - the questions will cover all the topics of the course) and 5 oral exams. The dates of the exams will be posted on the site AlmaEsami. Students can book for the examination exclusively using the procedures provided by the online system Alma Exams (https://almaesami.unibo.it/almaesami/welcome.htm). Each student can not enroll in more than one exam call at a time per each examination session. Students who have not passed an exam test will be eligible to take the exam only to the next examination session (therefore jumping one call).

The written test will be delivered in Italian, while foreign students will be able to take the oral examination in English if preferred

Teaching tools

Teaching material will be available at the web site AMS Campus - Deposito istituzionale del materiale didattico [http://campus.unibo.it/]
The password to access the teaching material will be given during the first teaching lesson

Office hours

See the website of Laura Airoldi