OVERVIEW

Ecology is the science that studies the complex relationships between organisms and the environment in which they live and that highlights and analyses the mutual influences of the living and non-living components in ecosystems.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching provides knowledge of the classification, distribution, structure and functioning of ecosystems, the ecology of biological cycles, the problems relating to the association between organisms and their fluctuations, with particular attention to the diversity, stability and instability of communities. Furthermore, the functional and productive aspects of ecosystems will be explored in depth, with particular reference to their exploitation and protection in the context of global change and the Anthropocene.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching aims to provide a solid basic knowledge on the structure and functioning of natural systems, with particular emphasis on the mechanisms that determine both the distribution and abundance of organisms and their relationships with the environment.

The teaching highlights the hierarchical and interdisciplinary nature of ecology with the aim of encouraging students to deal with complex and multi-scalar disciplines and problems. This objective is reflected in the organization of the program, which covers the hierarchical scale of ecological organisation, from the mechanisms underlying biodiversity (evolutionary ecology), passing through the adaptations of plant and animal organisms to the environment (autoecology), to population dynamics (demoecology), up to the structure and functioning of communities and ecosystems (synecology).

The teaching will provide the basis for further specialized studies in the fields of ecosystem and applied ecology, biodiversity conservation and sustainable environmental management.

PREREQUISITES

There are no specific prerequisites, but to effectively address the teaching contents, basic knowledge relating to zoology and mathematics is recommended.

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching consists of classroom lectures delivered through multimedia presentations. The student will be able to make use of the material made available on Aulaweb in advance of the lesson date.

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Professor Sara Ferrando (sara.ferrando@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The teaching program includes the presentation and discussion of the following topics:

Introduction to Ecology

• Definition of ecology and its role in the field of Biological Sciences

• Key concepts of ecology

• Ecological hierarchies

• Key terms of ecology

• How ecosystems work

• Systems theory

• Biocenotic and bionomics

• Questions and answers in ecology

• The scientific method

Autoecology: organisms and their environment

• Ecological factors and limiting factors: substrate, light, hydrodynamism, temperature, salinity, oxygen, pH, Eh

• Physical environment. Climate. Global energy balance. Greenhouse effect. Long-term climate fluctuations and global warming. Influence of latitude and topography on climate. Surface winds. Ocean currents. Rainfall. Global climate. Seasonal variations. Regional climate. Influence of vegetation. Humidity

• The terrestrial environment: the soil

• The aquatic environment

Adaptations of organisms to the main environmental variables

• Temperature: plants, ectodermal animals, endodermal animals, homeostasis

• Maintenance of the water balance: terrestrial and aquatic environment. Buoyancy

• Adaptations to photoperiod: biological clocks and calendars

• Energy acquisition: chemosynthesis, photosynthesis, plants C3, C4, CAM, heterotrophy. Energy cost of reproduction

Adaptation and evolution

• Adaptation

• Natural selection (genotype and phenotype

• Types of natural selection

• Genetic drift

• Gene flow

• Gene differentiation

• Speciation

• Adaptive radiation

• Mass extinction

• Phenotypic plasticity

Demoecology: populations

• Distribution area of a population

• Descriptive parameters of a population

• Spatial distribution of populations: uniform, aggregate, random

• Estimation of densities and the number of individuals in a population

• Life tables, mortality and survival curves, age structure of a population

• Dispersion of organisms in space, migrations

• Population dynamics

• Exponential growth model, intraspecific competition, density dependent growth and logistic growth model, population fluctuations, regular growth cycles

• Allee effect

• Demographic and environmental stochasticity

• Metapopulations and island theory

• The human population

• Adaptive strategies of populations to the environment

• Costs of reproduction and raising offspring

• Marriage system, partner selection, social behaviour and territoriality

Interactions between organisms

• Competition and coevolution: interspecific competition, Lotka-Volterra model, competitive exclusion, concept of ecological niche, coexistence

• Predation: Lotka-Volterra equations for predation, density-dependent regulation in predation, optimal foraging theory, prey-predator coevolution and defense mechanisms, herbivory

• Symbiotic relationships: parasitism and mutualism

• Commensalism

Synecology: communities

• Structure of a community: species diversity, concept of biodiversity, factors that favor diversity, role of diversity in the functioning of communities

• Food webs, top-down, wasp-waist and bottom-up control, trophic cascades, role of species

• Community zoning, community models

• Community analysis

• Community dynamics: ecological successions and the concept of climax, stability, alternative stable stages, resistance, resilience, hysteresis, regime-shift, phase-shift

• Metacommunity

Synecology: ecosystems

• Ecosystem concept

• Primary and secondary production in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

• Energy flows and trophic relationships. Trophic levels. Pasture chain and detritus chain. Consumers. Detritivores and decomposers. Trophic pyramids. Efficiency in the use of energy

• Nutrient cycle. Nutrient transformation

• Biogeochemical cycles: carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, phosphorus cycle, sulfur cycle

Biosphere and biomes

• Terrestrial biomes. Tropical rain forests. Seasonal tropical forests and savannas. Deserts. Temperate grasslands. Temperate shrublands and woodlands. Temperate deciduous forests. Temperate evergreen forests. Boreal forests. Arctic tundra

• Aquatic, marine and freshwater biomes. Oceans and seas. Pelagic and benthic domain. Intertidal rocky and sandy areas. Coral reefs. Seagrass meadows. Kelp. Hydrothermal systems. Estuaries. Coastal lagoons. Mangroves. Humid freshwater environments. Lakes and ponds. Rivers and streams

Global ecology and conservation ecology

• Global biodiversity

• The human footprint and climate change: rising temperatures, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, ocean acidification, extreme climate events

• The Anthropocene

• Main threats to biodiversity: exploitation of resources, impact of alien species

• Biodiversity conservation: protection of species and habitats, species extinction, biodiversity crisis, Agenda 2030, sustainable development

• National and international legislation, protected areas, restoration of species and habitats, ex-situ conservation.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Copies of all the presentations used during classes (in PDF), teaching material and scientific articles are available (downloadable from Aulaweb) for further information. The teaching material is mainly made up of personal notes and pdf material available on Aulaweb. As a reference text, one of the following is recommended:

M.L. Cain, W.D. Bowman, S.D. Hackers. Ecology (Italian edition edited by A. Fioretto). Piccin - Nuova Libraria, Padua, 2017.

T.M. Smith, R.L. Smith. Elements of ecology (Italian edition edited by A. Occhipinti Ambrogi, A. Marchini, A.R. Mojetta, A. Cardeccia). Pearson, 10th edition. MyLab. with digital content for online access, 2023.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MONICA MONTEFALCONE (President)

MARIACHIARA CHIANTORE (President Substitute)

CRISTINA MISIC (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

For lessons start and timetable go to the link: https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti/

Lessons will begin in the week of 30 September - 4 October 2024. Please refer to the specific AulaWeb application for the course for any updates on the teaching calendar.

Class schedule

ECOLOGY

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of an oral test relating to the topics covered in class. The exam is passed if the student obtains a grade greater than or equal to 18/30. There will be 5 sessions available in the summer session (June, July, September) and 2 sessions in the winter session (January-February).

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Details on how to prepare for the exam and the level of depth required for each topic will be provided at the beginning of the teaching and reiterated during the classes. The oral exam will mainly focus on the topics covered during the lectures and will aim to evaluate the achievement of the adequate level of knowledge that the student must be able to connect and integrate. The ability to present the topics clearly and with correct terminology will also be assessed. The ability to summarize and recognize the main aspects of the topic covered will be assessed.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Regular class attendance is strongly recommended.

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Professor Sara Ferrando (sara.ferrando@unige.it), the Department's disability liaison.