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ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

ALESSANDRO BELLINO ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

0522400001
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY "ADOLFO ZAMBELLI"
EQF7
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
2020/2021

OBBLIGATORIO
YEAR OF COURSE 2
YEAR OF DIDACTIC SYSTEM 2019
PRIMO SEMESTRE
CFUHOURSACTIVITY
432LESSONS
224LAB
ALESSANDRO BELLINO T Curriculum
Objectives
TO GAIN BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF THE COMPLEX ORGANIZATION OF ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS AND THEIR ANTHROPOGENIC ALTERATIONS. TO BE QUALIFIED TO DEFINE AND CARRY OUT PROJECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEM ANALYSES TO BOTH MONITORING AND CONTROL OF STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL ASPECTS. TO FACE UP IN SYNERGY WITH OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTS THE ECOSYSTEM ALTERATIONS FINALISED TO THEIR CONSERVATION. DEVELOPING ABILITIES TO UNDERSTAND AND COMMUNICATE IN THE SPECIFIC LANGUAGES OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL DISCIPLINES IMPLIED IN THE MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING OF ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS. TRAIN FOR THE CONSULTATION OF INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE FOR A CONTINUOUS SCIENTIFIC AND METHODOLOGICAL UPDATE.
Prerequisites
IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND AND APPLY THE MAJORITY OF SUBJECTS COVERED IN THE COURSE, IT IS NEEDED TO PASS THE EXAM OF ECOLOGY AND ACHIEVE GOOD SKILLS WITH RESPECT TO ENVIRONMENTAL DATA PROCESSING.
Contents
THE COURSE INCLUDES 56 HOURS OF TEACHING, FACED ANSWERING THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1) WHAT NEEDS TO BE ANALYZED;
2) WITH WHICH METHODS AND INSTRUMENTS;
3) HOW TO PROCESS THE DATA AND UNDERSTAND THE RESULTS;
4) WHICH ARE THE POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS.
TEACHING HOURS ARE SHARED IN CLASSROOM-TAUGHT LESSONS (32 HOURS), INCLUDING ANALYSIS OF STUDY CASES FROM SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE AND MODEL DEVELOPMENT, AS WELL AS IN FIELD EXCURSIONS AND LABORATORY ACTIVITIES (24 HOURS), DURING WHICH THE STUDENTS IMPLEMENT WHAT THE PROFESSOR INTRODUCES DURING THE CLASSROOM-TAUGHT LESSONS.
THE SUBJECTS DEALT IN CLASSROOM-TAUGHT LESSONS ARE: NATURAL, BUILT AND CONSTRUCTED ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS. THE PARADIGM OF COMPLESSITY, SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL SCALES. SAMPLING, MEASUREMENT, QUALITY, TREATMENT AND INTERPRETATION OF ECOLOGICAL DATA. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE THEORY OF ECOSYSTEMS TO ADDRESS THE STUDY OF NATURAL SYSTEMS AND SYSTEMS HEAVILY AFFECTED BY ANTROPOGENIC ACTIVITIES. ECOLOGICAL MODELING. PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL FACTORS CONTROLLING ECOSYSTEM DYNAMICS. ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF ECOSYSTEMS. MONITORING OF ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES. PRODUCTIVITY AND DECOMPOSITION. COMMUNITY ANALYSES, BIODIVERSITY AND ITS ROLE IN ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING. INFLUENCE OF NATURAL AND ANTROPOGENIC FACTORS ON COMMUNITY STRUCTURES AND ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES. ALTERATIONS OF NATURAL BALANCES. LOCAL- AND GLOBAL-SCALE ANTROPOGENIC IMPACTS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON ECOSYSTEMS. MONITORING OF ENVIRONMENTAL ALTERATIONS. LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH. MANAGEMENT, REQUALIFICATION, RECOVERY AND CONSERVATION OF ECOSYSTEMS.
THE SUBJECTS DEALT IN FIELD AND LABORATORY ACTIVITIES ARE: ANALYSES OF THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONING OF NATURAL, BUILT AND CONSTRUCTED ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS (BOTH AQUATIC AND TERRESTRIAL ONES). AT THIS STAGE, ECOLOGICAL, THEORETICAL AND MATHEMATICAL MODELS WILL BE ELABORATED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN, THROUGHOUT SIMULATIONS, A MORE APPROPRIED CONCLUSION ON THE FUNCTIONING OF THE STUDIED PROCESSES.
Teaching Methods
THE COURSE PROVIDES 56 TEACHING HOURS (6 ECTS), COMPRISING LESSONS AND PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES. IN PARTICULAR, 32 HOURS OF CLASSROOM-TAUGHT LESSONS (4 ECTS) AND 24 HOURS OF EDUCATIONAL EXCURSIONS AND LABORATORY ACTIVITIES (2 ECTS) ARE SCHEDULED. THE CLASSROOM-TAUGHT LESSONS, REGARDING ALL THE COURSE TOPICS, ARE KEPT WITH THE HELP OF SLIDES AND SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE PAPERS. EDUCATIONAL EXCURSIONS ARE FIVE (4 HOURS EACH), LABORATORY ACTIVITIES ARE TWO (2 HOURS EACH).
Verification of learning
THE ACHIEVEMENT OF TEACHING OBJECTIVES IS CERTIFIED BY PASSING AN EXAM, MARKED WITH SCORES EXPRESSED IN THIRTIETHS, EVENTUALLY CUM LAUDE. THE EXAM CONSISTS IN AN ORAL EXAMINATION OF ABOUT 90 MINUTES. IT IS PASSED WITH A MINIMUM SCORE OF 18/30. THE EXAM IS SCHEDULED IN TWO STEPS EQUALLY CONTRIBUTING TO THE FINAL SCORE:
1) PRESENTATION OF A SELF-DEVELOPED RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE STUDY OF AN ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM (ABOUT 30 MINUTES);
2) DISCUSSION OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH PROJECT AS WELL AS OF THE INTERNATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY ON THE TOPIC (ABOUT 60 MINUTES).
THE EXAM AIMS AT EVALUATING THE CAPACITY OF THE STUDENT TO EXPLAIN, IN AN ORGANIC WAY, THE TREATED TOPICS. OVERALL, IT ALLOWS ASSESSING BOTH THE CAPACITY OF KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING, AND THE CAPACITY TO APPLY THE REACHED COMPETENCES, AS WELL AS THE CAPACITY TO EXPLAIN AND TO MANAGE SOLUTIONS IN COMPLETE AUTONOMY.
Texts
THE DIDACTIC MATERIAL (SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS, BOOKS TO CONSULT, SLIDES...) WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE DURING THE COURSE.
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