LEARNING OUTCOMES

Knowledge and understanding - The course has the following learning goals: a) acquisition of the bases for the study of flora and habitat for environmental monitoring through different methods; b) basic elements of GIS cartography and its application for floristic cartography; c) different methods of environmental monitoring. Competences and skills - Specifically, the student will be able to: a) acquire the capability to make up a flora; b) apply different monitoring methods for different taxonomical group of plants; c) distinguish the main endemic and exotic species of an area; d) perform a GIS floristic cartography of an area; e) perform a floristic investigation according to national and international requisites and procedures; f) perform and apply a IBMR index in river environments.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Knowledge and understanding

The course has the following learning goals:

• acquisition of the bases for the study of flora and habitat for environmental monitoring through different methods.
• basic elements of GIS cartography and its application for floristic cartography.
• different methods of environmental monitoring.

Competences and skills

Specifically, the student will be able to:

• acquire the capability to make up a flora
• apply different monitoring methods for different taxonomical group of plants
• distinguish the main endemic and exotic species of an area
• perform a GIS floristic cartography of an area
• perform a floristic investigation according to national and international requisites and procedures
• perform and apply a IBMR index in river environments

TEACHING METHODS

Frontal lessons (32 h)

On the field visits and exercises with identification, inventory and tracking activities (16 h).

For the first semester, the lessons will be carried out in presence if possible, guaranteeing in any case the online fruition of the lessons, throughout synchronous or asynchronous video recording. The laboratory activities will be organized if possible in presence, possibly with several small groups.

All at presence activities will be carried out in compliance with the capacity limits of the classrooms/laboratories and maintaining the minimum distance among students, as provided for by the regulations in force following the COVID19 emergency.

Please refer to the AulaWeb platform for any specific updates to the teaching due to changes in the health and epidemiological situation.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course will deal with the following main argument:

Flora

• Description of flora. Characteristics of a flora.
• How floras and sources of information are presented.
• Floristic cartography.
• Red lists and the definition of a standard method.

What is biodiversity and why to monitor

• General environmental monitoring.
• Why monitor biodiversity. Examples of species monitoring.
• Detection for monitoring.
• Genetic biodiversity: how to sample, phylogenetic diversity, relations between entities in a territory, phytogeography of proximate entities and populations.
• Monitoring regulations and bodies responsible for its implementation.
• Why to conserve biodiversity. How to conserve biodiversity.
• Ex situ germplasm conservation

GIS methods and cartography

• What is cartography and what is GIS. Examples of GIS maps.
• Use of Qgis and its applications for floristic and vegetational cartography.
• Practical test applications.

Flora detection techniques

• Bryophytes, Fungi and Lichens, vascular species.
• Detection of aquatic macrophytes.
• Use of indexes for the evaluation of macrophytes as an expression of the state of conservation of water courses.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

A copy of the slides projected during the lectures is available on AulaWEB at the site https://2020.aulaweb.unige.it