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Fundamentals of Ecology and Biology

Type of study Follow-up MasterBachelor
Language of instruction English
Code 546-0190/02
Abbreviation ZEB
Course title Fundamentals of Ecology and Biology
Credits 2
Coordinating department Department of Environmental Engineering
Course coordinator Mgr. Oldřich Motyka, Ph.D.

Subject syllabus

1. Fundamental definitions of biology and ecology: biology and ecology as natural sciences. Brief history of biology and ecology, definition of life
2. Cell: cell structure, differences between plant and animal cell, cell wall, cell membrane, organelles
3. Animals: basic taxonomic classification, evolution, protostomes and deuterostomes, invertebrates and vertebrates
4. Plants: basic taxonomic classification, evolution, non-vascular and vascular plants, gymnosperms and angiosperms, monocots and dicotyledons
5. Animal physiology: physiology of the animal cell, metabolism, thermoregulation, breathing
6. Plant physiology: physiology of the plant cell, metabolism, uptake, transport and excretion of water and nutrients, photosynthesis
7. Essentials of genetics: genes and alleles, Mendel’s laws, heredity, molecular basis of heredity, mutations, replication and transcription
8. Ecology: disciplines of ecology, ecology according to the object of the research, related life sciences, ecology as mathematical biology
9. Ecology: biogeochemical cycles, water, oxygen and carbon cycles, food chains – producers, consumers and decomposers, grazing food chain, detritus food chain, parasitic food chain
10. Ecology: Interaction between the organisms and their environment – fundamental terms and definitions, ecological valence, environmental conditions affecting the organism – biotic and abiotic
11. Ecology: interspecific and intraspecific interactions – neutralism, protocooperation, commensalism, mutualism, amensalism, competition, predation, parasitism; territoriality, same-species groups of organisms
12. Ecology: essentials of ethology and behavioural ecology – terms and concepts, sociality, altruism, innate behaviour, learning
13. Ecology: environmental change assessment, monitoring of the environment, bioindication, biomonitoring

Literature

BEGON, Michael, John L. HARPER a Colin R. TOWNSEND, 2005. Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems, 4th Edition. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub. ISBN 978-1-405-11117-1 .
TOWNSEND, Colin R., Michael BEGON and John L. HARPER, 2008. Essentials of ecology. 3rd ed. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub. ISBN 978-1405156585 .
MILLER, Stephen A a John P HARLEY, 2016. Zoology. Tenth edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN 978-0077837273 .
RAVEN, Peter H, Ray Franklin EVERT a Susan E EICHHORN, 2013. Biology of plants. Eighth edition. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company Publishers. ISBN 978-142-9219-617 .

Doporučená literatura

TAIZ, Lincoln. a Eduardo. ZEIGER, 2006. Plant physiology. 4th ed. Sunderland, Mass.: Sinauer Associates. ISBN 08-789-3856-7 .
WILLMER, Pat, G. STONE a Ian A. JOHNSTON, 2000. Environmental physiology of animals. Malden, MA: Blackwell Science. ISBN 06-320-3517-X .