Definitions of Ecology, Agricultural Ecology, Agro-ecology, Sustainability. Biosphere and ecosystem. Ecosystems productivity. Biogeochemical cycles. Ecological succession. Ecology of competition and populations. Biodiversity, functional biodiversity and agro-biodiversity. Pesticide management. Fertilization management, with specific focus on nitrates. Environmental management systems.
Vazzana, C., 1998. Ecologia vegetale agraria. Patron Editore, Bologna, Italy, 394 p.
Altieri, M.A., Nicholls, C.I., Ponti, L., 2015. Agroecologia. Edagricole, Milan, Italy, 313 p.
Didactic material supplied by the lecturer.
Learning Objectives
Knowledge and comprehension: To supply to students fundamental knowledge on structure and functioning of agro-ecosystems aimed at comprehension of on-farm production dynamics and potential impacts of tree products on the landscape scale.
Capacity of application of knowledge and comprehension: To develop the capacity students to apply knowledge and comprehension aimed at achieving an effective environmental management of on-farm production processes.
Autonomy of judgement: To develop in students autonomy of judgement in decision-making processes both at the level of farm environmental management and at the level of landscape design of gardens and green areas
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge in botany, biology and chemistry are recommended.
Teaching Methods
CFU: 6
Total hours of the course: 150 Hours reserved to private study and other individual formative activities: 102
Hours for lectures: 32
Hours for laboratory: 0
Hours for practical activities (in aula and in field): 16
Hours for seminars: 4
Hours for stages: 0
Hours for Intermediate examinations: 0
Further information
Frequency of lectures and practices: recommended
Type of Assessment
Mode of examination: Oral exam
Evaluation parameters: capacity of organizing the achieved knowledge in a coherent discourse; capacity of critical reasoning on the study carried out; competence in using specialist wording, effectiveness, linearity.
Course program
Definitions of Ecology, Agricultural Ecology, Agro-ecology, Sustainability.
Biosphere and ecosystem. Hierarchical levels of organization. Definition of biosphere. Definition of ecosystem, biocenosis and habitat. Ecosystem fundamental components. Energy principles and concepts in organic systems. Food chains, trophic levels, ecological pyramids. Interactions between organisms and between organisms and the habitat. Action, reaction and co-action. Predation, parasitism, parasitoidism, symbiosis and competition. Ecological niche.
Ecosystems productivity. Biogeochemical cycles. Gas cycles: oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, water. Sedimentary cycles: phosphorous.
Ecological succession. Definition of ecological succession. Definition of climax. Clements’theory of monoclimax. Gleason’s individualistic theory. Tansley’s policlimax theory. Types of ecological successions. Sere and seral stage. Development of ecological successions.
Ecology of competition and populations. Definition of competition. Competition and amensalism. Competition factors. Intra-specific competition in the agro-ecosystem:
Role of weeds and allelopathy. Concept of population. Mechanism of population evolution. Measures of variation of a character. Phenotypic plasticity. Mechanisms of genetic control. Sources of genetic variability. First and second Mendel’s laws. Inter-chromosomic recombination, cossing-over and mutations. Natural selection mechanism. Fitness and selection. Types of selection after environmental variation. r and K selection. C, S and R selection. Local populations, ecotypes, ecocline, species.
Biodiversity, functional biodiversity and agro-biodiversity. Pesticide management. Fertilization management, with specific focus on nitrates. Environmental management systems.