The course aims to provide robust basic knowledge on the structure and functioning of environmental systems, with particular emphasis on the mechanisms that determine both the distribution and abundance of organisms as well as their relations with the environment.
Knowledge and Understanding
The students will acquire knowledge on the basic principles of ecology, with particular emphasis on the interdisciplinary nature of this discipline. This objective is reflected in the organization of the program that runs through the hierarchical layers of ecological organization, from the mechanisms underlying biodiversity (evolutionary ecology), passing through the relationships between organisms and species (population ecology) up to the structure and functioning of communities (community ecology).
Applied Knowledge and Understanding
The knowledge acquired will be applied to the ecological mechanisms that allow evaluatint the state and functioning of ecosystems and biodiversity. Comprehension abilities will be applied by encouraging students to deal with complex and multi-scalar disciplines and problems.
Independent Evaluation
The ability to formulate independent evaluations will be exercised thanks to the interdisciplinary and multilevel reasoning required by this discipline and by the analysis of the case studies proposed, that need the merging of complex and heterogeneous data to be understood.
Communication skills
These skills will be developed through the exercise of one's own expression (interventions during the lessons) and in the coordination of group activities, especially during field exercises.
Ability to learn
The many concepts learned and the connections linking them all will stimulate a “learning-by-reasoning” process, essential to fully understand ecological mechanisms.