CONSERVAZIONE DELLE BIODIVERSITA'
(objectives)
Aim of the course is to provide the students with a broad and scientifically rigorous view of the marine biodiversity and its anthropogenic treats. The course focuses on the three levels of biodiversity organization (genetic-populational, specific, ecosystemic), considering for each one the mechanisms that mould biodiversity patterns, the anthropic impacts and treats, the conservation strategies. Particular regard will be deserved to the ecosystem functioning and management, which is a main trend in marine conservation. Since biodiversity organization levels are highly interdependent and cascading effects are regularly implicated in the outcome of human impacts, the course aims to develop the students' ability to build-up connections and to manage multiple-level information. To this end each lesson is structured in a theoretical part and another one that involves the examination of numerous case studies. Finally, conservation biology has an interdisciplinary nature and therefore an important objective of the course is to train students to simultaneously manage information, approaches and methodologies that derive from very diverse fields such as biology, ecology, modelling, law, sociology. The course will provide the basis for further specialistic studies in applied ecology, conservation of marine biodiversity and sustainable environmental management.
The course focuses on the following learning objectives: - knowledge of the nature and organization of biodiversity; - knowledge of mechanisms generating biodiversity patterns; - knowledge of human impacts that cause loss of biodiversity; - knowledge of the main biodiversity conservation strategies; - ability to discern between natural patterns and patterns of anthropogenic origin; - multi-scale and interdisciplinary reasoning skills; - ability to apply acquired knowledge and skills to real problems.
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Code
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17516 |
Language
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ITA |
Type of certificate
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Profit certificate
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Credits
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6
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Scientific Disciplinary Sector Code
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BIO/07
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Contact Hours
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32
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Exercise Hours
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16
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Type of Activity
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Related or supplementary learning activities
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Derived from
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17516 CONSERVAZIONE DELLE BIODIVERSITA' in Natural and Environmental Sciences L-32 CIMMARUTA Roberta
(syllabus)
• NATURE, RESOURCES, BIODIVERSITY: definitions, general considerations, objectives and purposes of conservation. The three levels of organization of biodiversity. Evil Quartet and its role in the extinction process. • BIODIVERSITY AT POPULATION LEVEL 1) Diversity at the genetic level: basics of population genetics; The importance of genetic variability; The evolutionary forces that create genetic variability (mutation, gene flow, selection, genetic drift); Loss of genetic variability and conservation issues (effective population size, inbreeding and outbringing depression, bottleneck, “Red Queen” hypothesis, genetic erosion) 2) Diversity at population level: Outline of demography and population dynamics; Minimum Viable Population (MVP); Vortex of extinction; Paradigms of small populations and declining populations • BIODIVERSITY AT SPECIES LEVEL: The problem of extinctions; Red Lists (IUCN); "In-situ" and "ex-situ" conservation strategies (reintroductions, restocking, etc.) •BIODIVERSITY AT COMMUNITY LEVEL: Protected areas (design, management, purposes, problems); Framework law on protected areas 394/91; “Habitats” Directive 92/43/EEC - Natura 2000 Network; Ecological networks and biotic corridors
(reference books)
R.B. Primack, L. Boitani “Biologia della conservazione” Ed. Zanichelli
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Dates of beginning and end of teaching activities
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From to |
Delivery mode
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Traditional
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Attendance
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not mandatory
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Evaluation methods
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Oral exam
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