Ecology

The teaching aims at providing the basic principles of ecology, i.e. the scientific investigation of the distribution and abundance of organisms and of the interactions that determine distribution and abundance, as well as of the fluxes of energy and matter of the ecosphere. It aims at providing an integrative outlook to ecosystem functioning and to the hierarchical levels of organization of the biosphere, from individuals to populations and ecosystems, highlighting the human impact on the biosphere and the interactions between ecosystem processes and human activities. Ultimately, the course aims at stimulating a scientific approach to the conservation of natural resources and sustainable development.

At the end of the teaching, the student must be able to recognize ecosystem processes, use the main methods for measuring the quality of terrestrial and aquatic environments and use sampling methods in different ecosystems. He will also have to know the different interactions between organisms (e.g. competition, predation, symbiosis, parasitism), as well as the methods of growth of a population.
The student will develop these skills not only through lectures, but also through written exercises. The ability to communicate what has been learned will be tested through the teacher's questions during the lessons and through the exercises that will be carried out individually and then corrected by the teacher during the hours devoted to exercises. In this way, the student will also acquire a multidisciplinary study method that will allow him to connect the different parts that constitute the holistic knowledge of the ecology, to be exploited in future studies.