APPLIED PLANT ECOLOGY
Students should be familiar with basic concepts of Physical Geography, Plant Ecology and Biogeography
Knowledge and skills acquired by students will be verified at the end of the course by means of an oral exam which, for students who have attended the course, will consist in the presentation on computer support of a topic arranged with the teacher and based on few articles of the most recent scientific literature (from 2 to 4). The exam will last 30 minutes, 15 of which are dedicated to the presentation and 15 to the discussion with the examination board. For students who have not attended the course, the oral exam, also lasting 30 minutes, will consist of the discussion of three topics presented in the course chosen by the teacher. Presentation on computer support of a topic is optional.
The evaluation will be expressed in thirtyths and will consider the scientific mastering and the critical ability about the topics discussed (50%), the organization and the skills in presenting the topics (10%), the ability to apply the concepts learned during the course to specific cases (40%).
The course aims to introduce sustainable use of plant resources, both in terms of primary production and biomass as well as biodiversity, in the frame of the current global change scenario and of the increasing demand for natural resources. An introductory part concerns the world distribution of vegetation and the assessment of Earth bio-capacity, which is followed by the presentation of the main sources of anthropogenic impacts on terrestrial ecosystems due to Land Use and Land Cover Change and connected to Carbon Cycle. Then are presented main fields of application and use of native plants together with main ecological principles fundamental in plant community’s management in order to maintain primary production, biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Expected learning outcomes concern the ability to understand and evaluate:
-major global challenges in conservation of planetary plant resources
-sustainability criteria in the use of plant resources
-fields of application of native flora and natural plant communities
-plant contribution to main ecosystem services
Climates, bio-climates and world distribution of vegetation. Arctic and boreal biomes; temperate biomes; tropical and equatorial biomes; vegetation of mountain ridges. (16 hours)
Biomass and Primary Production: measuring methods, resident biomass and carbon budget of biomes. (4 hours)
Vegetation and greenhouse gas control. Impact of Land Use Changes. Wild fires: causes, plant adaptations and ecological consequences. Role of agriculture and forest management in the carbon cycle. Deforestation and world forest assessment. Anthropo-biomes, Human Appropriation of Net Primary Production, bio-capacity and ecological footprint. (8 hours)
Biodiversity-biomass-primary production relationships and ecosystem functions (species-energy hypothesis, Intermediate disturbance hypothesis, mass-ratio hypotesis). Eutrophication and impacts on vegetation and plant biodiversity. Ecosystem Services and Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. (6 hours)
Origin and domestication of cultivated plants. Use and cultivation of native plants as crops, gardening and environmental restoration. Alien plants, biological invasions, environmental and economic damage resulting, black lists. (6 hours)
Use and cultivation of plants for biomass and fuels. Bioengineering techniques for erosion control and habitat restoration, phyto-remediation and biomonitoring techniques. (8 hours)
The course objectives will be achieved through classroom lessons for 48 hours in total. During lectures teacher will constantly refer to updated scientific literature and reports edited by international organizations.
At students request, at the start of each lesson the teacher will provide clarifications and insights concerning topics discussed in previous lessons. It will be also possible to ask for clarification at any time during lessons.
Teacher is always available for urgent matters at the e-mail address bruno.cerabolini@uninsubria.it. Using the same e-mail address is also possible to arrange meetings in Teams or in the teacher's office placed by DBSV via J.H. Dunant, 3 in Varese (third floor).
Professors
Borrowers
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Degree course in: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
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Degree course in: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES