Communities and Ecosystems

The course aims to provide concepts on the organization and functioning of communities and ecosystems, with particular focus on aquatic environments, exploring the interactions between organisms and their environment. Particular attention will be given to the understanding of how environmental modifications, in particular anthropic pressure, can alter the composition and the functionality of ecosystems, integrating the processes that occur at different levels of biological organization, with a perspective of management and conservation of natural resources.

The course offers the following specific training objectives:
· Understand the role of the main plant and animal groups in natural systems and how they interact with the physical and chemical environment;
· Be able to assess the consequences of main threats to ecosystems, such as pollution, introduction of alien species and climate change;
· Acquire the knowledge for a critical evaluation of the available methodologies for the monitoring of the status of the ecosystems, for the management of natural resources and the recovery of contaminated environments.