Course: Community ecology and ecosystems

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Course title Community ecology and ecosystems
Course code EKO/NESP
Organizational form of instruction Lecture
Level of course Master
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter
Number of ECTS credits 2
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course Compulsory
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Kuras Tomáš, RNDr. Ph.D.
Course content
Actual trends in community ecology, terminology, change of ecology paradigms. Biological complexity. The nature of communities (concepts, community boundaries, key-stone species, dominants, Gaia hypothesis). Community structure (diversity, species richness, diversity indexes, model of species-abundance relations, communities in space and time, models of succession, climax state, theoretical nonequilibrium models, conceptual models of community organisation). Essential statistical methods for community analysis (ordination, gradient analysis, classification). Biodiversity (local, regional and global biodiversity, spatial heterogeneity, biodiversity gradients, role of disturbance in community, S-A relationship, theory of island biogeography, Rapoport`s rule, macroecological patterns). Stability of communities (connectance, resilience, resistence, conventional attitude). Ecosystems (concepts, primary & secondary production, nutrient cycling, energy flow, food chains and webs). Nutrient cycles (N, C, S, P, H2O, monitoring methods, human impact on cycles). - ekosystem and its criticism - Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning - neutral theory of biodiversity - community structure and rank-abundance models - importance and applicability of the Jackknife, bootsrap and rarefaction methods - coexistence of species in communities - analytical successional models (Markovian and Horn succesional models) - environmental variability and Milankovitch cycles - biodiversity limited factors - global gradients of biodiversity

Learning activities and teaching methods
Lecture, Projection (static, dynamic)
  • Attendace - 24 hours per semester
Learning outcomes
Actual trends in community ecology, terminology, change of ecology paradigms. Biological complexity. The nature of communities (concepts, community boundaries, key-stone species, dominants, Gaia hypothesis). Community structure (diversity, species richness, diversity indexes, model of species-abundance relations, communities in space and time, models of succession, climax state, theoretical nonequilibrium models, conceptual models of community organisation). Essential statistical methods for community analysis (ordination, gradient analysis, classification). Biodiversity (local, regional and global biodiversity, spatial heterogeneity, biodiversity gradients, role of disturbance in community, S-A relationship, theory of island biogeography, Rapoport`s rule, macroecological patterns). Stability of communities (connectance, resilience, resistence, conventional attitude). Ecosystems (concepts, primary & secondary production, nutrient cycling, energy flow, food chains and webs). Nutrient cycles (N, C, S, P, H2O, monitoring methods, human impact on cycles).
Knowledge Define basic conceptions of community & ecosystem Describe the community structure and the basic components of ecosystem Identify ecosystem succesion and community evolution
Prerequisites
Fundamentals of ecology, basics of biology and statistics.

Assessment methods and criteria
Mark, Oral exam, Written exam

Ended by written exam.
Recommended literature
  • Begon M., Harper J.L. & Towsend C. R. (1997). Ekologie. Jedinci, populace a společenstva. Vydavatelství Univerzity Palackého, Olomouc.
  • Jeník J. (1984). Ekosystémy. Karolinum, Praha.
  • Losos B. Gulička J. , Lellák J. & Pelikán J. (1984). Ekologie živočichů - problematika adaptací živočichů na podmínky prostředí.. SPN, Praha.
  • Losos, B., Gulička, J., Lellák, J., Pelikán, J. (1985). Ekologie živočichů.. SPN Praha, 320 s.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester
Faculty: Faculty of Science Study plan (Version): Teaching Training in Biology and Environmental Education for Secondary Schools (2021) Category: Pedagogy, teacher training and social care 1 Recommended year of study:1, Recommended semester: Winter