1. Learning outcomes (goals and aims of the discipline):
The goal of the discipline is mastering theoretical backgrounds and obtaining practical skills in analysis of features, factors and functional specifics of urban ecosystems and their components.
The aims of the discipline include:
- to understand and implement the basic terms, definitions and principles of city and settlements’ ecology;
- to know basics of projecting and landscape architecture constructing;
- to analyze and quantify ecological factors in urban environment;
- to manage ecological and aesthetic functions of urban green plantations;
- to know and implement urban environmental monitoring systems;
- to manage the main processes of urban landscape construction
Syllabus
Chapter topics Practical works
Introduction to the course «Urban ecology». Basic terms: city, urbanizations, urban ecosystems Urban ecology – city ecology. Modern and ancient cities. Urbanization as a processes of city expansion and urban development. Nature urbanization as transformation of natural landscapes into urban infrastructure. Functional and formal approaches to define the term «city».
Geological environment of urban ecosystems Lithosphere as a component of geosystems. General information on the Earth planet composition. Material construction of the lithosphere. Physical and chemical feature of the lithosphere. Elements and their clarke the earth’s crust. Minerals and mineral groups. Magmatic, metamorphic and sedimental rocks. Lithospheric processes. Endogenous and exogenous processes. Volcanism and post-volcanic processes. Tectonics of the Lithospheric plates. Orogenesis. Relief. Spatial and orographic relief forms. Slope, glacial, colluvial and karst processes. Interrelationships between the lithosphere with the other geosystems components. Anthropogenic sediments. Classification of anthropogenic sediments. Genesis of anthropogenic sediments. Chemical and physical features of anthropogenic sediments. Cultural layer.
Water component of urban ecosystems. Water-use types. Hydrosphere as a geosystems component. History of hydrosphere on Earth. Material composition of hydrosphere. Physical and chemical feature of hydrosphere. Water bodies, ponds and streams. Interrelation between hydrosphere and other geosystems components. Hydrosphere and migration of substances. Hydropshere and climate. Water consumption. Water use and its categories.
Atmosphere of urban ecosystems. Composition. Influence on the atmosphere Pollution of the atmosphere. Classification of the principal atmosphere pollutants. Maximal allowance concentrations of pollutants in the atmosphere. Sources of atmospheric pollution. Classification of the industries considering risks of the atmospheric pollution. Consequences of the atmospheric pollution. Dispersion of the toxic substances in the atmosphere. Limitation of the atmospheric emissions. Monitoring of the air quality. Goals and aims of air quality monitoring. System of the air quality monitoring in Russia. Weather forecasting and meteorological monitoring. Prediction and modeling of air pollution and air quality dynamic.
Urban climate. Management of the air quality. Standardization of the influences on the atmosphere. Maximal permitted emissions. Sanitary-hygienic zones. Integral indicator of the air pollutions. Separate standardization of the contaminants in the atmospheric air. Heat pollution of the atmosphere. Anthropogenic change of the radiation balance. Green house gases and global warming. Heat island effect. Framework convention of the climate change. Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC). Kioto protocol and post-kioto agreements. Russian Federation and Kioto protocol
Urban vegetation. Functions of urban greenery. Ecological and technogenic factors of plant growth in urban environment. Climatic factor: heat island effect, extension of the vegetation period, shifting of the plant borders, decrease in frost-resistance, prolongation of the daylight period. Atmospheric pollution: chlorosis, drying. Edaphic factor: over-compaction, cluttering up, salinization, soil sealing. Forest degradation within urban areas. Edge erosion. Composition of urban vegetation: local, introduced and added species. Specifics of urban vegetation: domination of deciduous plants, decrease in biodiversity. Cultural and ruderal grasses. Urban lawns.
Urban green space’s functions. Sanitary-hygienic functions. Dust-capturing function. Gas-fixating function. Intensification of air circulation. Noise-isolating function. Ionization of the environment. Ornamental and aesthetic functions. Urban greenery rules, regulations and standards.
Urban soils Anthropogenic influence on soil. Over-compaction. Soil profile disturbance. Soil degradation. Soil pollution. Soil erosion. The key contaminants of soils. Maximal allowed concentrations and preliminary allowed concentrations of substances in soil. Anthropogenic soils. Specifics of soil formation, peculiarities of soil physical, chemical and biological features of anthropogenic soils. Classification of anthropogenic soils. Standardizing of soil quality. Methods for quantification of ecological damage. Reclaiming and remediation of contaminated soils. Remediation activities for various contamination types. Bioremediation. Ecological certification of soils and lands. Economic, ecological and functional-ecological assessment of soil quality

2. Teaching

a) main literature:
1) Kurbatova A.S., Bashkin V.N., Kasimov N.S. «Ecology of a city». – М.: 2004 – 624 p (in Russian).
2) Denisov V.V.., Kurbatova A.S., Denisova I.A.., Bondarenko V.L., Gracheva V.A., Gutenev V.V., Nagnibeda B.A. «Ecology of a city». М.: Rostov on Don: 2008-832 p.( in Russia).
3) Alberti M. Advances in Urban Ecology: Integrating Humans and Ecological Processes in Urban Ecosystems Springer; 2008 366 p.
4) R.T.T. Forman. Urban Ecology: Science of Cities Cambridge University Press 2014. 474 p.
5) J. Niemela,J. H. Breuste, G.Guntenspergen. Urban Ecology: Patterns, Processes, and Applications. Oxford University Press; Reprint edition. 2012. 392 p.

b) additional literature:
1). Bandaranayake W., Qian Y. L., Parton W. J., Ojima D. S. and Follett R. F., 2003. Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Changes in Turfgrass Systems Using the CENTURY Model. Agron. J. 95, 558–563.
2). Dolgikh, A.V., Aleksandrovskii, A.L., 2010. Soils and cultural layers in velikii Novgorod. Eurasian Soil Science, 43, 477–48.
3). Gerasimova, M.I., Stroganova, M.N., Mozharova, N.V., Prokofieva, T.V., 2003. Urban Soils. Oykumena, Smolensk.(in Russian)
4). Golubiewski, N.E., 2006. Urbanization Increases Grassland Carbon Pools: Effects of Landscaping in Colorado's Front Range. Ecological Applications 16, 555-571.
5). Ilina, I.N. (Eds.), 2000. Environmental atlas of the Moscow city. ABF. Moscow (in Russian)
6). Jo, H.K., McPherson E.G., 1995. Carbon Storage and Flux in Urban Residential Greenspace. Journal of Environmental Management 45, 109–133.
7). Kaye, J.P., McCulley, R.L., Burkez, I.C., 2005. Carbon fluxes, nitrogen cycling, and soil microbial communities in adjacent urban, native and agricultural ecosystems. Global Change Biology 11, 575-587.
8). Lorenz, K., Lal, R., 2009. Biogeochemical C and N cycles in urban soils. Environment International 35, 1–8.
10). Pickett, S.T.A., Cadenasso, M.L., Grove, J.M., Boone, C.G., Groffman, P.M., Irwin, E., Kaushal, S.S., Marshall, V., McGrath, B.P., Nilon, C.H., Pouyat, R.V., Szlavecz, K., Troy, A., Warren, P., 2011. Urban ecological systems: scientific foundations and a decade of progress. Journal of Environmental Management 92, 331–362
11). Prokofieva, T.V., Stroganova, M.N., 2004. Soils of Moscow city (soils in urban environment, their specifics and environmental significance). Moscow Biological. GEOS, Moscow.
12). Scalenghe, R., Marsan, F.A. The anthropogenic sealing of soil in urban areas, 2009. Landscape and urban planning 90, 1-10. .
13). Vasenev, V.I., Ananyeva, N.D., Makarov, O.A., 2012. Specific features of the ecological functioning of urban soils in Moscow and Moscow oblast. Eurasian Soil Science 45, 194-205.
14). Vasenev, V.I., Stoorvogel, J.J., Vasenev I.I., 2013b. Urban soil organic carbon and its spatial heterogeneity in comparison with natural and agricultural areas in the Moscow region. Catena. 107.96-102.
15). Vrscaj, B., Poggio, L., Marsan, F., 2008. A method for soil environmental quality evaluation for management and planning in urban areas. Landscape and Urban Planning 88, 81-94