AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The objectives are pursued through a first part of lectures and a large part of exercises and group work both in the field and in the classroom in order to acquire mastery of identification, detection and mapping techniques.

TEACHING METHODS

Frontal lessons; field visits and exercises with identification, inventory and tracking activities; work-group activities under the supervision of the teacher through work assistance meetings and review of the intermediate cartographic drawings.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Vegetation survey and mapping
1) Introduction: A) Overview of cartography (traditional, dynamic cartography, in GIS environment). B) General information on vegetation: a) structure, appearance and texture of vegetation; b) original vegetation, natural, current, relict, azonal, extrazonal, zonal potential; c) dynamic vegetation processes (chrono- and topo-sequences, succession and series, potential and climax); d) phytosociological and synphitosociological definitions (grouping, association, plant community, facies, phase, formation, fragment, geosigmeto, mantle, rim, geographical race, sigmeto, sinusia, stage, preforestal stage, environmental unit, variant, zonation).
2) Approaches and methods of detection and classification of vegetation. A) Phytosociological method and other methods; transects and gradsects; permanent plots. B) Phytosociological syntaxonomy and other hierarchical vegetation classification systems. C) The vegetation series in Italy and Liguria.
3) Cartographic survey methods of habitat vegetation. A) Types of vegetation maps (current and potential; basic and derivative). B). Cartographic realization methods: a) The operational scale and the nominal scale, the objectives and the choice of the method; b) remote sensing and field survey. c) outline of photointerpretation of the vegetation cover; main platforms, photographic sources and software used in photo interpretation; d) operational vegetation mapping plans. C) Application aspects of vegetation mapping: a) artificiality / naturality / emerobia maps, b) quality maps; c) sensitivity / resilience / vulnerability cards; d) risk cards in relation to different threats; e) degradation papers / state of preservation; f) cards of compatibility and susceptibility to use; g) different maps of ecosystem functionality. D) Special surveys and maps: a) execution of transects and their representations; b) diachronic cartographic representation of permanent plots; c) relations between vegetation and landscape. E) Analysis of cartographic products: a) statistical processing of the mapped units (surfaces, perimeters, shape indexes, other indices); b) revisions of the units mapped for statistical purposes.

Habitat monitoring

1) Definitions and classifications. A) Definition of habitats in the scientific and regulatory environment (pursuant to European Directive 43/92): a) natural habitats and species habitats; b) dimension and multiscale vision of habitats (micro-, meso- and macro-habitats; mosaics and mixed aspects); B) Hierarchical classification of habitats (CORINE, PALAEARCTIC, EUNIS); C) relationships between habitat classifications and vegetation syntaxonomy; D) habitat interpretation manuals: a) community, b) national; c) regional.

2) The habitats of the Natura 2000 network on a supranational, national and regional scale (examples). A) General: a) biogeographical regions and geographical distribution of habitats; b) guide species; c) elementary habitats and phytosociological references; d) dynamic aspects and potential; identification techniques. B) Techniques: a) identification; b) evaluation of the conservative status; c) monitoring methods; d) indicators and indices for monitoring. C) Habitat categories: a) marine and coastal; b) fresh water; c) moors, spots, garrigues and grasslands; d) peat bogs and other types of wetlands; e) rock habitats; f) forest habitats; g) species habitats (not Att. 1 DIr. 43/92).

Monitoring of the fungal component

Detection techniques; methods and strategies for monitoring the fungal component (macro and microfungi) in different areas and sectors (forest, aquatic environment, air, synanthropic environment, sediments, soil, litter, etc.). Permanent plots in different fields. Qualitative and quantitative estimates.

Exercises.

1 Field trials. A) phytosociological detection. B) Cartographic survey of vegetation. C) Observations on dynamic vegetation processes. D) Census and mapping of habitats. E) Mycocenological detection.

2. Cartographic processing in GIS environment. A) Topographic bases and reworkable cartographic documents. B) Mappable units. C) Definition of the legend and the abbreviations. D) Data structure and digitization. E) Drafting and drafting of layouts. F) Checks of the documents.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Notes provided by the teacher.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MAURO MARIOTTI (President)

LUIGI MINUTO

GABRIELE CASAZZA (President Substitute)

MIRCA ZOTTI (President Substitute)

LAURA CORNARA (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The lessons of the first semester will start from September 23, 2019, and will be completed by January 17, 2020. The lessons of the second semester will start from February 17, 2020 and will end by June 12, 2020. Refer to the detailed timetable below link:

https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti/

Class schedule

DETECTION, MAPPING AND MONITORING OF FLORA AND VEGETATION

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam.

The overall grade of the 95069 course will be obtained from the mathematical average of the marks obtained in the various tests of the two modules. Partial grades are valid for the current academic year.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Students will have to provide a geo-referenced cartography of vegetation and habitats related to a given sample area accompanied by a brief analytical report and hold a final oral interview on the program topics and on the paper prepared by them. The student will present the results of his work carried out during the exercises and the summary of the problems encountered; this will be followed by an oral interview aimed at highlighting the acquisition or otherwise of the information covered by the program

FURTHER INFORMATION

Frequency strongly recommended.

Regular attendance is strongly recommended especially for field exercises. Students will have to provide adequate clothing for excursions (boots).