Degree Course: BIOLOGIA ED ECOLOGIA MARINA (LM-6) Syllabus for A.Y. 2015/2016  

Ecology and evolutionary biology. Fields of study, methodological approaches, temporal and spatial scales of enquiry.
Marine communities. Ecological factors and biodiversity patterns. The tidal range: causes and consequences of the zonation. Adaptations. Biological interactions, community structure, metacommunity.
Molecular and evolutionary ecology. Principles, methods and fields of investigation. Mechanisms of the evolutionary change. Species and speciation. Phylogeography and biogeography. Diversity and divergence. Dispersal, migration, gene flow. Landscape genetics.
Population and metapopulation. Structure, diversity and demographic changes. Census size, effective size. Historical demographic survey: methods based on demographic and genetic data.
Biological invasions. Causes, vectors and invasion paths. Factors behind successful invasions. Evolution of the invaders. Eco-evolutionary consequences of invasions. Lessepsian invasions.
Variations of the coastline. Causes, time scales, magnitude of changes, effects on biodiversity at the level of population, species, communities.
Evolutionary history of the Mediterranean basin and its shores. Tectonic evolution, climate evolution, impact on biodiversity.

Bertness, Bruno, Silliman, Stachowicz, 2014. Marine Community Ecology and Conservation. Sinauer Associates.
Freeland, Kirk, Petersen, 2011. Molecular Ecology. Wiley.
Rilov, Crooks, 2009. Biological Invasions in Marine Ecosystems. Springer.
Losos, 2013. The Princeton guide to Evolution. Princeton University Press.