Ecology and Environment

Recommended Prerequisites

Basic knowledge ofecology.

Teaching Methods

Teaching methods: lectures to expose students to the different syllabus topics with the support of PowerPoint presentations; theoretical-practical classes for elaboration, presentation and discussion of group work on selected themes.

Learning Outcomes

This curricular unit is focused on the study of the different levels of ecological organization and of the main environmental problems of nowadays, providing a sustained critical analysis of the Man-Environment relationship.
Upon completion of the curricular unit program, students will be able to:
a) Know basic ecological concepts and principles;
b) Explain the growth of populations and factors that influence them;
c) Understand the processes of ecological succession;
d) Identify the major terrestrial biomes;
e) Describe the structure and functioning of ecological systems;
f) Recognize the importance of biological diversity to the functioning of ecological systems;
g) Identify factors that affect biodiversity;
h) Identify some causes for the extinction of species;
i) Indicate a few examples of threatened and endangered species in Portugal.
j) Acknowledge the importance of urban ecology in the development of sustainable cities.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

Basic notions of Ecology and Environment.

Population structure, growth and regulation. Population dynamics.

Intraspecific and interspecific relationships.

Biotic Communities: structure and development.

Ecological successions: causes and types.

Major terrestrial biomes.

Ecosystems: structure and functioning. Matter and energy transfer in ecosystems.

Food chains and food webs. Ecological pyramids.

Human activity and environment. Environmental pollution: sources and types. Environmental disasters. Contaminants: pesticides, dioxins and related compounds.

Global environmental changes. Greenhouse effect / climate change / global warming. Ozone hole. Acid rain. Desertification.

Management of natural resources. Sustainable development. Alternative energies. Nature conservation and biodiversity.

Urban Ecology. Energy and matter fluxes in urban ecosystems.

Ecotoxicology. Ecotoxicological tests. Endocrine disruptors.

Head Lecturer(s)

António Henrique da Silva Paranhos

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Other: Group work (25%); active participation in class discussions or activities (5%): 30.0%
Frequency: 70.0%

Bibliography

Begon, M., Townsend,C.R. & Harper, J.L. (2007).Ecologia: de indivíduos a ecossistemas, 4ª ed. (trad. A.S. Meloet
al.).ArtmedEditora, Porto Alegre.
Townsend, C.R., Begon,M. & Harper, J.L.(2006).Fundamentos em ecologia, 2ª ed. (trad. G.R.P. Moreiraet
al.).ArtmedEditora, Porto Alegre.
Tyler, G.&Miller, Jr. (2006). Ciência ambiental.Thomson Learning, São Paulo.
Odum, E.P. (2004). Fundamentos de ecologia, 7ª ed. (trad. A.M.A. Gomes).Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisboa.
Alberti, M. (2008). Advances in Urban Ecology: Integrating Humans and Ecological Processes in Urban
Ecosystems. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, New York.
Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente,http://www.apambiente.pt/
European Commission / Environment,http://ec.europa.eu/environment/index_en.htm
European Environment Agency,http://www.eea.europa.eu/
Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas,http://www.icnf.pt/

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),http://www.iucnredlist.org/