FONDAMENTI DI ECOLOGIA

Acquisition of basic knowledge of the structure and laws of ecology governing ecosystem functioning also aimed at understanding the processes of environmental change.

Introduction to ecology: Hierarchical organization, emergent properties. The Gaia hypothesis. The concept of ecosystem, biotic and abiotic factors. The physical environment. Biogeochemical cycles. Limiting factors: the law of minimum Liebig, the law of tolerance Shelford; stenoecie species and euriecie. Energy flow in ecosystems: the laws of thermodynamics, solar radiation and energetic environment. The distribution of energy in trophic chains and trophic nets. The concept of primary and secondary productivity and trophic efficiency. Ecology of population growth rate, carryng capacity, cyclical fluctuations, dispersal, home range and territoriality, metapopulation dynamics. Ecology of communities: interaction between species, coevolution, interspecific competition, habitat, niche, biodiversity. Dynamic ecosystem: primary and secondary successions, concept of climax, evolution of the biosphere. Landscape ecology: the elements of the landscape, biodiversity, landscape, island biogeography, spatial and temporal scales. Ecology regional ecosystems to local biomes.

Smith T. M. & Smith R. L. - Elementi di Ecologia. 8° edizione. Pearson Ed., 2013.
Odum E. P. & Barrett G. W. - Fondamenti di Ecologia. Piccin Ed., 2007.
Chapman J. L. & Reiss M. J. - Ecologia, principi e applicazioni. Zanichelli Ed., 1994.