PLANT RESOURCES
There are no propaedeutic constraints. However, students must be familiar with basic notions and concepts of plant biology and ecology.
The evaluation of students’ knowledge will take place at the end of the course through the only final exam which will be carried out in oral form. In the end, a single vote expressed out of thirty will be recorded, which will be arithmetically averaged with the vote of the other module of the course (animal resources).
The oral exam, lasting about 30 minutes, will concern 3 open-ended questions chosen from three different groups of contents covered in the course. The formulation of the questions will conform to the expected learning outcomes, also by presenting case studies to the candidate. Students will also be required to present and briefly discuss reports regarding the practical activities.
The assessment of the oral test will take into account, in addition to the level of knowledge acquired (40%), the ability to apply theoretical concepts to real cases (30%), the ability to organize and illustrate the arguments (20%), the competence in using of the specialist lexicon and presentation skills of the student (10%).
The educational objectives of the course are at the basis of the degree course as they concern the teaching of fundamental knowledge on the plant component of natural capital, both in terms of biodiversity and primary production. The theoretical bases that regulate their sustainable use are also addressed, in the context of the growing demand for natural resources and the current scenario of global change.
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
The expected learning outcomes concern the knowledge of the amount of plant resources and the ecological principles that rule their maintenance, in order to preserve primary production, plant biodiversity, and the resulting ecosystem services.
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
-understand the different levels of plant biodiversity organization;
-use analytical tools to measure biodiversity;
-evaluate the capacity of ecosystems in terms of biomass, primary production, and ecosystem services delivery;
-identify the main pressures and threats acting on plant natural capital;
-develop strategies for the conservation of plant natural capital.
Introduction (6 hours)
Levels of organization in biology and in biodiversity;
Main plant taxonomic groups and adaptations;
Concept of individual and species in plants;
Notes on intraspecific diversity.
Interspecific diversity (10 hours)
Distribution of specific plant diversity;
Biogeographic regions and chorological types;
Rarity concept adapted to plants;
Endemic species and biodiversity hot spots;
Globalization of floras and invasive alien species;
Cultivated plants and plant domestication.
Diversity at the level of plant communities and landscapes (10 hours)
Taxonomic and functional diversity;
Biomes definition and properties;
Biological forms;
Plant communities definition and properties;
Characteristic and diagnostic species;
Measure of taxonomic diversity;
Plant traits, functional types and plant strategies;
Measurement of functional diversity.
Primary production, resident biomass and global carbon cycle (8 hours)
Carbon stock and carbon sink in soils and vegetation;
Global distribution of vegetation, disturbance factors, land use and human appropriation of primary production;
Ecosystem services and ecological footprint;
Biomass-biodiversity relationships and ecological stability of plant communities: Species-Energy Hypothesis, Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis, Rivets, Drivers and Passengers, Mass Ratio Hypothesis.
Plant Biodiversity Conservation (6 hours)
Main pressures and threats to plant biodiversity;
In-situ and ex-situ conservation;
Red Lists, Black Lists, Flora and Habitats conservation;
State of forests and forest management;
Sustainable agriculture;
Sustainable nursery gardening and reproduction of native flora.
Practical activities (12 hours)
- Measurements of biomass and primary production (below- and above-ground)
- Measurements of plant biodiversity (floristic-vegetational survey, minimum area)
- Excursion to an in-situ (e.g. protected area) or ex-situ (e.g. botanical garden) conservation facility.
The course objectives will be achieved through classroom lectures (40 hours) and practical activities (12 hours).
The lectures use presentations with images, graphs, and diagrams taken from university textbooks, scientific literature, and reports from international organizations, which will later be made available to students on the course's e-learning platform.
At the beginning of each lecture, at students’ request, the teacher will provide clarifications and insights concerning topics covered in the previous lessons. It will also be possible to ask for clarifications at any time during the lecture.
The practical activities concern insights into topics covered in classroom lectures and include exercises, seminars, or excursions. At the end of each practical activity, students are asked to fill in a short report which represents a moment of self-evaluation. The reports will be presented by the student during the final exam. Attendance at practical activities is mandatory.
More Information
Teacher is always available for urgent matters at the e-mail address bruno.cerabolini@uninsubria.it for classroom lectures, and antonino.diiorio@uninsubria.it for practical activities. 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) (Prof. Cerabolini) or by Pad. Spallanzani via Montegeneroso, 71 Varese (Prof. Di Iorio).