Essentials of Ecology

• Essentials of Ecology

Spring – (jährlich wiederkehrende Veranstaltung)

Dozierende

Alexandre Buttler

Lernziel

Give from the beginning of the curriculum the basic ideas and fundamental concepts of ecology for a general understanding of the structure, processes, phenomenon and challenges, with a perspective of global approach. The aim of the course is to allow the students to understand the role of ecology in environmental engineering sciences and sciences of sustainable land use and biological resource management.
- General knowledge of resources and values of natural or semi-natural ecosystems, including field works.
- Knowledge of functional aspects of ecosystems as a scientific basis for an ecosystemic approach to the use of biological resources and to engineering projects.
- Development of the capacity to evaluate and undertake engineering projects while taking into account natural environments.

Keywords

Ecology, basic principle of ecosystem functioning, description of natural environments

Inhalt

Part I
1. The order in the natural world 2. Physical environment of the organisms 3. Water and solutes 4. Heat and energy 5. Responses to environmental variations 6. Biological factors in the environment 7. The climate at various scales 8. The concept of ecosystem 9. Energy fluxes 10. Global bio-geochemical cycles 11. Regeneration of nutrients within the terrestrial and aquatic compartments 12. Population structure 13. Population growth 14. Population regulation 15. Population fluctuations and cycles 16. The concept of community 17. Community structure 18. Community development

Part II
1. Forest ecosystems 2. Wetland ecosystems 3. Fluvial ecosystems
4. Alpine ecosystems 5. Urban ecosystems

Part III
6. Biodiversity

Part IV
7. Field investigation, writing of a report