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Applied Ecology

* Exchange students do not have to consider this information when selecting suitable courses for an exchange stay.

Course Unit Code546-0825/03
Number of ECTS Credits Allocated5 ECTS credits
Type of Course Unit *Compulsory
Level of Course Unit *First Cycle
Year of Study *Second Year
Semester when the Course Unit is deliveredSummer Semester
Mode of DeliveryFace-to-face
Language of InstructionCzech
Prerequisites and Co-Requisites Course succeeds to compulsory courses of previous semester
Name of Lecturer(s)Personal IDName
STA35doc. Ing. Barbara Stalmachová, CSc.
Summary
The aim of the course is to understand the consequences of human activities on the environment, introduction to basic problem areas, opportunities and approaches for successful and responsive solutions of anthropogenic activities in the landscape. Students will gain knowledge about the functioning of ecosystems influenced by humans. The theoretical and practical knowledge acquired can be used by graduates in follow-up courses focused on restoration of landscapes and landscapes controlled by the industry. They are able to apply knowledge for project needs as well as for decision-making and assessment in professional practice.
Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit
The goal is to understand the consequences of human activities on the environment, learning the basic problem areas, opportunities and approaches for successful and responsive solutions to anthropic activities in the landscape.
Syllabus:
Definition of Applied Ecology, basic terminology. Ecosystem, community, metacommunity; recovery. Biodiversity. Succession and importance for restoration. Disturbance and succession, ecotones. The influence and importance of biotic and abiotic factors on the environment (self-regulation, regeneration, self-cleaning, etc.). Fundamentals of regional biogeography, to reinstate the territory. Fundamentals of Hydrobiology, revitalization, brownfields and water in the landscape. Basics focusing on phytosociology ranks significant recovery area (terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems). Fundamentals of Landscape Ecology - Structure and components of the landscape, the European Landscape Convention. Landscape planning and landscape. Nature and landscape conservation, sustainable development. Protection of land resources, agricultural land, the forest land resources. Negative influences in the landscape, solutions (focus on a deserted area, repository of waste, demolition areas, sedimentation tanks, slides, etc.). Brownfields - definition, types of brownfields, environmental characteristics. Fundamentals of bioindication and biomonitoring.
Course Contents
1. Temperature as an ecological factor, adaptation of animals. Light as an ecological factor, adaptation of animals. Humidity as an ecological factor, adaptation of animals. Atmospheric pressure and air flow as an ecological factor, adaptation of animals.
2. Water as an ecological factor. Conditions of life in stagnant waters. Conditions of life in flowing waters. Ecological factors of bogs. Ecological factors of periodic waters and saline waters.
3. Soil as environment. Ground edaphone.
4. Food. Classification of adaptations - physiological, morphological and ethological adaptations. Intraspecific relationships.
5. Migration of animals. Interspecies relations. Animal communities. Quantitative features of zoocenoses. Structural and relational features of zoocenoses.
6. Reproduction, estrus, reproductive types, reproduction cycles in mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles. Growth and development of young in mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles.
7. Radiation, modification of solar radiation and adaptation of plants to radiation. Temperature balance, plant temperature and plant adaptation to temperatures. Effect of atmospheric composition on plants.
8. Water balance of habitat, absorption, transpiration and water balance of plants. Plant resistance to drought, specific survival time. Water as the environment of plants, adaptation of plants to the aquatic environment.
9. The importance of plants for soil formation, the influence of relief and plants on pedogenetic processes. Dependence of plants on soil chemistry.
10. Photosynthetic capacity of plants, photosynthesis efficiency coefficient, dependence of net photosynthesis on light and heat. Growth analysis of plants, its meaning and application.
11. Plant population - definition, characteristics, distribution of the population. Plant demography. Population structure. Interrelationships between individuals and plant populations. Plant population strategies.
12. Ecology of the plant community - definition, delimitation. Horizontal and vertical structure of the plant community. Stability of the plant community, zonal, azonal and extrazonal vegetation. Analysis of community structure, life forms of plants. Vegetation potential, natural, close to nature, reconstructed natural, natural.
13. Changes in the structure of the plant community over time. Ecological succession of plants, primary and secondary succession, principles and importance in the ecosystem. Invasive and expansive plant species, significance.
Recommended or Required Reading
Required Reading:
FORMAN, R.T.T. WILSON, E.O. The ecology of Landscapes and Regions. Cambrige University Press, 1995.
MCPHERSON G.R. DESTEPHANO S. Applied ecology and natural resource management. Cambridge Univ.Press 2003.
MOLLES, M.C. Ecology: Concepts and applications. McGraw Hill, 509 pp.
NEWMAN E.I. Applied Ecology & Environmental Management. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2001.
BEGON, M., J. L. HARPER a C. R. TOWNSEND. Ekologie, jedinci, populace a společenstva. Olomouc: Nakladatelství UP Olomouc, 1997
STALMACHOVÁ, B. Základy ekologické obnovy průmyslové krajiny. Skripta Phare, VŠB – TU Ostrava, 1996
SKLENIČKA, P. Základy krajinného plánování. Praha: Naděžda Skleničková, 2003. 321 s. ISBN 80-903206-0-0
NEWMAN E. I. Applied Ecology & Environmental Management. Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2001
Recommended Reading:
BUCKLEY, G.P. Biological Habitat Reconstruction. New Jersey , John Wiley and Sons Ltd., 1989.
SCHEFFER M. Critical Transitions in Nature and Society. Princeton University Press 2009.
RICKLEFS R. E. A MILLER G. L. Ecology. Freeman and Co., New York 1999.
SANDERSON,J., HARRIS,L.D. Lanscape ecology. CRC Press LLC. Boca Raton, Florida. 246p.
PIVNIČKA, P. Aplikovaná ekologie. Praha: Karolinum, 2002
SPELLERBERG, I. F. Monitorování ekologických změn. Brno: EkoCentrum, 1995
RICKLEFS, R. E. a G. L. MILLER. Ecology. New York: Freeman and Co., 1999
SANDERSON, J. a L. D. HARRIS. Landscape Ecology. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2020. ISBN 978-0-4295-2531-5
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Lectures, Tutorials, Experimental work in labs, Terrain work
Assesment methods and criteria
Task TitleTask TypeMaximum Number of Points
(Act. for Subtasks)
Minimum Number of Points for Task Passing
Credit and ExaminationCredit and Examination100 (100)51
        CreditCredit33 17
        ExaminationExamination67 34