Corso di laurea in Scienze Biologiche (L-13)

An introduction: basic and applied ecology,  limits to development, technological progress,  sustainable development, ecosystem and landscape paradigms. The main threats to  environment:  air and water pollution, urbanization, population increase,  reduction of the ozone layer , crisis of biodiversity, global warming and global change.
Water pollution: water uses, transparency, biological and chemical oxygen demand (BOD and COD). Urban, agricultural and industrial pollutants. De-oxidant reactions. Lake  eutrophication. Inorganic toxic substances: mercury, copper, chrome and lead. Marine oil pollution: the effect on organisms and trophic chains.  Soil pollution (direct and indirect pollutants) and soil remediaton . Air pollution:  atmosphere  composition, sources of gases,  carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur oxides, persistent organic pollutants, particulate matter, photochemical smog; acid rains, reduction of ozone layer, greenhouse effect and global warming. Al Gore: an inconvenient truth. Pesticides: biological and  chemical classification. Usefulness  and dangerousness of pesticides. Volatilisation, adsorption, bio-accumulation  and biodegradation. Alternatives to pesticides: the biological control of pests. Bacillus thuringiensis and the control of mosquitos.
Landscape ecology: spacing, gerarchic theory, metapopulation ecology, fragmentation, source-sink, GIS-GPS remote sensing.
The status of the environment in Italy. The alpine ecosystem: anthropogenic and natural landscapes, alpine flora and fauna, wilderness, human population, railway and road traffic, tourism, sports, protected areas. The Convention of the Alps.
The main terrestrial (Mediterranean maquis, deciduous and coniferous forests, moorland, mountain prairies) and coastal (littoral biotic zonation, lagoons, dunes, coastal lakes) ecosystems: distribution, status and conservation of the vegetal and animal components. Plant communities: characteristics and methods with reference to forms, structure and dynamics.
State of conservation of Italian and European forests. Forests and carbon cycle. Energy from plants and from other energy sources.
Human impact on vegetation. Plant responses to different disturbance types and regimes (mechanical disturbance, pollution, nutrients) with reference to their vegetative and reproductive strategies. Plant communities dynamics and soil evolution. Soil and ecosystems conservation. Plant biodiversity at different scales. Biodiversity and wilderness. Distribution and impact of exotic species on habitat and species. Habitats conservation and biodiversity. Restoration ecology applied to the soil-vegetation system in disturbed habitats. Global change.: effects on plant communities and ecosystems in the world with  particular focus on the Alps and the Mediterranean Basin. Phenology and models.

Fornire le conoscenze fondamentali sulle problematiche ambientali derivanti dall’impatto antropico sulla biosfera, con particolare riguardo all’inquinamento di aria ed acqua. Saper riconoscere le relazioni tra le variazioni delle condizioni ambientali e le alterazioni subite dalle componenti vegetali ed animali dei sistemi ecologici, a diversi livelli di scala.

Il materiale didattico presentato a lezione è disponibile sul sito internet  (indicare se diverso dal sito internet)

I testi base consigliati per il corso sono:
Provini A., Galassi S., Marchetti R., 1998. Ecologia applicata. Città studi Edizioni.
Pignatti S. (ed.),1994. Ecologia vegetale. UTET.

Esame scritto, con risposte aperte e multiple

La frequenza alle lezioni non è obbligatoria; per i corsi di laboratorio e le attività di esercitazione relative ai corsi la frequenza è obbligatoria e non può essere inferiore al 70% delle ore previste.