Teacher
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ARDUINO Paola
(syllabus)
INTRODUCTION: what is ecology, definitions; levels of organization - parts and wholes; hierarchy and scale; difference between ecology and ecologism and environmental awareness; ECOSYSTEMS: definition, structure and study methods; examples of ecosystems; cybernetic nature of ecosystems; ENERGY FLUX IN ECOSYSTEMS: solar radiations, impact with the atmosphere and outcomes; photosynthesis and cellular respiration; biomass, production, productivity; measuring methods in terrestrial and aquatic environments; primary productivity of different ecosystems; subsidiary energy; use of global primary productivity by human populations; quality vs. quantity of energy; trophic levels, ecological pyramids; food chains: pasture vs. detritus; food webs; ecological efficiency: Lindeman, consumption, assimilation, production. BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES: definition, models and types, study methods; water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous and sulphur cycles. COMMUNITIES: what are communities, definition methods: gradient analysis, statistical approach; structure: composition, richness, abundance, evenness, homogeneity (rank-abundance diagrams, diversity indexes), alpha, beta and gamma diversity; successions: types, modes, outcomes; climax concept; mechanisms of successions; disturbance, stability: resilience and resistance; fragility/robustness, complexity/stability, diversity/disturbance, diversity/productivity (hypotheses and models).
(reference books)
Bullini L., Pignatti S., Virzo De Santo A. (1998). Ecologia generale. UTET, Torino.
Available at the Library. Lecture files are available: please contact me by e-mail: arduino@unitus.it.
OTHER TEXTS (WITH ENGLISH EDITIONS) Odum E., Barrett G.W. (2006). Fondamenti di ecologia. Piccin. (3° ed. italiana su 5° inglese, 2005). Odum E. (1988). Basi di Ecologia. Piccin, Padova. Colinvaux P. (1995). Ecologia. EdiSES. Townsend C.R., Harper J.L., Begon M. (2001). L'essenziale di ecologia. Zanichelli, Bologna.
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