2. Professors
  3. BELLINO ALESSANDRO
  4. Teaching

ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

ALESSANDRO BELLINO ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

0522400001
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY "ADOLFO ZAMBELLI"
EQF7
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
2021/2022

OBBLIGATORIO
YEAR OF COURSE 2
YEAR OF DIDACTIC SYSTEM 2019
AUTUMN SEMESTER
CFUHOURSACTIVITY
432LESSONS
224LAB
ALESSANDRO BELLINO T Curriculum
Objectives
PROVIDE THE CONCEPTUAL AND ANALYTICAL MEANS TO TACKLE THE CHALLENGES OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AT EVERY LEVEL OF ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION. PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CAPABILITIES TO DEFINE PRAGMATIC METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES FOR THE STUDY AND MODELLING OF ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS AT EVERY LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY, INCLUDING THE FORMULATION OF RESEARCH PROJECTS FROM THE HYPOTHESES TO THE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN, SAMPLING, DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS.
Prerequisites
KNOWLEDGE OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF ECOLOGY AND APPLIED ECOLOGY, AS WELL AS OF DATA ANALYSIS, FACILITATES THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE COURSE TOPICS. HOWEVER, THE COURSE IS OPEN TO STUDENTS WITH VERY DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND ENSURES THAT LACKING OF PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE DOES NOT HAMPER THE LEARNING PROCESS.
Contents
THE 56 HOURS CONSTITUTING THE COURSE CENTERS ON THE FOLLOWING ISSUES:
1)WHAT SHOULD BE ANALYZED;
2)WITH WHICH CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES;
3)WITH WHICH METHODS AND MEANS;
4)HOW TO ANALYZE DATA AND INTERPRET RESULTS.
THE COURSE ARTICULATES INTO CLASSROOM-TAUGHT LESSONS (32 HOURS) AND FIELD/LABORATORY/CLASSROOM PRACTICAL EXPERIENCES. THE FORMER MAINLY RELY ON A MAIEUTIC APPROACH THROUGH COLLECTIVE ANALYSIS AND DIALECTIC DISCUSSION OF THE PROPOSED TOPICS, INCLUDING ALSO THE CRITICAL REVISION OF LITERATURE, CASE STUDIES AND MODELLING ACTIVITIES. PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES COMPLEMENT THE LESSONS BY PROVIDING THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE THE USE OF THE TAUGHT TECHNIQUES AND IMPROVE THE CONCEPTUAL AND METHODOLOGICAL MEANS TO ADDRESS THE STUDY OF ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS AT EVERY LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY.
TOPICS OF THE COURSE INCLUDE: THE PARADIGM OF COMPLEXITY; SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL SCALES; THE PERCEIVED SCALES; NATURAL, BUILT AND CONSTRUCTED ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS; PROPERTIES AND ANALYTICAL/MODELLING TARGETS OF ORGANISMS, POPULATIONS, COMMUNITIES, ECOSYSTEMS AND LANDSCAPES; RECENT ADVANCES IN COMPLEX SYSTEM THEORY TO TACKLE THE CHALLENGES OF THE STUDY OF NATURAL SYSTEMS AND THOSE AFFECTED BY ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS; EPISTEMOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS; THE DEFINITION OF METHODOLOGICAL STRATEGIES FOR THE ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS: FORMULATION OF HYPOTHESES, CHOICE OF EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH AND DESIGN, SAMPLING, ECOLOGICAL DATA ANALYSIS (UNIVARIATE, MULTIVARIATE, MACHINE LEARNING) AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS; ECOLOGICAL MODELLING.
PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD AND IN CLASSROOM/LABORATORY INCLUDE: ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF NATURAL, BUILD AND CONSTRUCTED (AQUATIC AND TERRESTRIAL) ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS. ECOLOGICAL MODELS, BOTH CONCEPTUAL AND MATHEMATICAL, WILL BE DEVELOPED TO ENHANCE THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESSES UNDERPINNING THE FUNCTIONING OF THE ANALYZED SYSTEMS THROUGH SIMULATIONS.
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 CLASSROOM/LABORATORY ACTIVITIES (2 ECTS) ARE SCHEDULED.
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 60 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 20 MINUTES);
2) DISCUSSION OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH PROJECT (ABOUT 40 MINUTES).
THE EXAM AIMS AT EVALUATING THE STUDENT ABILITY TO ADDRESS THE DEFINITION OF AN INNOVATIVE AND EFFECTIVE METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH FOR THE STUDY OF AN ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM. 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
DUE TO THE ABSENCE OF SUITABLE REFERENCE TEXTBOOKS ENCOMPASSING ALL THE COURSE TOPICS, DIDACTIC MATERIAL (SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS, BOOKS, PRESENTATIONS…) WILL BE PROVIDED DURING THE COURSE.
More Information
TEACHING LANGUAGE: ITALIAN
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