Upon completion of the course, students will: - Understand the main anthropogenic threats to the health of inland water ecosystems and possible measures to mitigate their impacts. - Become familiar with methods for monitoring water quality and functionality; be able to critically interpret real contexts. - Become aware of the concreteness of Ecology applied to case studies on environmental problems.
Course Prerequisites
It is highly recommended to have attended a basic Ecology course and passed the exam. In particular, it is required to master the following concepts: ecolgical factors, habitat, ecological niche, population dynamics, community, trophic networks, production, biogeochemical cycles, eutrophication, bioindicators.
Teaching Methods
Lectures are mainly based on Power Points presentations, which are available for the students on the moodle platform KIRO, in the course section. Course attendance is strongly advised. For students participating to the DIDATTICA INCLUSIVA programme, video-lectures and video-recordings of lectures are available on the KIRO platform.
Assessment Methods
The exam consists of an oral examination covering the course content and also includes a discussion of a case study. The candidate's ability to critically examine different environmental situations, propose appropriate investigation methodologies, and correctly interpret the collected data will also be assessed.
Texts
The material will be provided by the lecturer on the KIRO teaching platform.
Contents
River Continuum Concept. Fish zonation and the expected community concept. Macroinvertebrates as indicators of biological quality in surface running waters. Self-purification processes. Eutrophication. Environmental quality indices. In-depth analysis of the Indice Biotico Esteso (Extended Biotic Index adapted for italian water course). Saprobic Index Sludge Biotic Index Critical comparison of different indices. Critical analysis of a technical report on a pollution hypothesis. River Functionality Index – IFF2007 Minimum Vital Flow – Ecological Flow. Presentation of a case study. Principles and applications of phytodepuration plants. Biopools. Green roofs. Principles and basic aspects of naturalistic engineering, with examples of application to aquatic ecosystems. Case studies: application examples.
