Teacher
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MANCINELLI Roberto
(syllabus)
Course contents Lectures in the class: 40 hours. Origins of Ecology as scientific discipline. Systemic approach to ecological scince as bridge between the disciplines. The holistic application to reality: the concept of ecosystem. The organization of the living organisms. The ecosystem: structure, components, interactions, ecological successions, seral and climax stages, organisms and their functions, ecological niche, etc. Analysis of ecological systems and ecological efficiencies between and within the trophic levels. Classes of systems: natural and anthropogenic, relations between ecosystem and agroecosystem. Resources: the agricultural meteorology and climatology references and relationships between climate factors and living organisms. Systemic approach applied to the agricultural world: the concept of agro-ecosystem; agroecosystem properties (productivity, stability, sustainability). The farm as agro-ecosystem. Energy transfers and rationalization of input auxiliary energy in the agroecosystems. Influence of agronomic interventions on biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nitrogen. Soil carbon fluxes in different cropping systems. Importance of legume species in the agroecosystems. Environmental effects related to the water cycle. The management of agro-ecosystems for reducting the erosion and for defense of soil fertility. Importance of the agroecosystem biodiversity and mixed farming for soil fertility. Importance of structural complexity between and within the fields: hedges and polyculture. Relations between agriculture and society: traditional farming systems, conventional and alternative. Environmental impact of agriculture: pollution and loss of biodiversity. The diffusion of pollutants from agricultural sources in the environment. The organic and ecological agriculture: legislative nods and agrotechnical applications aimed at reducing negative environmental impacts.
Field exercises: 8 hours. Some concrete situations will be observed on field of aspects dealt in classroom concerning some agronomic applications addressed to the sustainable management of agroecosystems.
(reference books)
- Lesson slides, available on Dropbox at link provided by the teacher, - Caporali F., Campiglia E., Mancinelli R., 2010. Agroecologia: Teoria e pratica degli agroecosistemi. De Agostini Scuola SpA, Novara. 222 pp. ISBN: 978-88-251-7352-9. - Bullini L., Pignatti S., Virzo De Santo A., 1998. Ecologia generale. UTET, Torino. 519 pp.
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