APPLIED PLANT ECOLOGY
There are no propaedeutic constraints. However, constant reference will be made to basic concepts of Physical Geography, Ecology and Biogeography.
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 registered.
The oral exam, 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 who have attended the course are offered the possibility of making a presentation on computer support concerning a topic arranged with the teacher and will be based on the discussion of some articles of the most recent scientific literature (from 2 to 4). The exam will last 30 minutes, of which 15 are dedicated to the presentation and 15 to the discussion with the examination board.
In both cases, the evaluation of the oral exam 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 the use of specialized vocabulary and the student's presentation skills (10%).
The course aims to introduce the sustainable use of plant resources, both in terms of primary production, biomass, biodiversity, and ecosystem services in the frame of the current scenario of global change and the growing demand for natural resources. An introductory part concerns the world distribution of vegetation and the assessment of Earth's biocapacity. The main sources of anthropic impact on terrestrial ecosystems linked to the carbon cycle are then presented. Finally, the main fields of application and use of native plants are presented together with the main ecological principles fundamental for the management of vegetation.
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
The expected learning outcomes concern the ability to understand and evaluate the consistency of plant resources in different environments worldwide and to evaluate the pressures and threats that insist on them, to identify conservation strategies.
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
-know the outlines of the world's vegetation;
-evaluate the role of vegetation in the carbon cycle and in ecosystem services production;
-identify the main pressures and threats to the conservation of plant resources;
-know the fields of application of native flora and natural plant communities.
-apply sustainability criteria in the use of plant resources.
World vegetation (16 hours)
Climates, bioclimates, and world distribution of vegetation;
Arctic and boreal biomes; temperate biomes; tropical and equatorial biomes;
Vegetation of mountains.
Vegetation biocapacity and anthropic impact (14 hours)
Biomass and Primary Production: measurement methods;
Carbon stock and carbon sink in biome soils and vegetation;
Vegetation, carbon cycle, and greenhouse gas control;
Impact of land use and land cover changes;
Wildfires: causes, plant adaptations, and ecological consequences;
Agriculture and carbon cycle;
World state of forests and causes of deforestation.
Ecological footprint, sustainable use, and plant community stability (8 hours)
Anthropobiomes and human appropriation of primary production;
Ecosystem Services and ecological footprint;
Biomass-biodiversity relationships and ecological stability of plant communities;
Role of nitrogen and eutrophication.
Use of native plants (10 hours)
Origin and domestication of cultivated plants;
Fields of application and cultivation methods of native species;
Invasive exotic plants, blacklists, and responsible nursery gardening;
Use and cultivation of plants for biomass, energy, and biochar;
Bio-engineering techniques for erosion control and habitat restoration.
The course objectives will be achieved through classroom lectures for a total of 48 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 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