Terrestrial Ecozones and Ecosystems

Recommended Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Teaching Methods

Field work, data analysis.

Learning Outcomes

Students are familiar with the natural characteristics (climate, topography, soils and sediments, vegetation, animals) and the development (past, present, future) of ecozones and ecosystems; students are familiar with the varieties of human impact and their effects on ecosystems; students are able to differentiate, to interpret and to evaluate natural processes and the effects of specific human activities on global, zonal and regional scales.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

Global overview of ecozone characteristics (climate, topography, soils and sediments, vegetation, animals, human impact). Presentation and analysis of the individual ecozones (polar and subpolar zone, boreal zone, temperate and dry midlatitudes, subtropics with Winter rain, humid subtropics, dry tropics and subtropics, subtropics with Summer rain, humid tropics), evaluation of the human impact in the individual ecozones (past and present). Presentation of case studies. Discussion of future development of ecozones and ecosystems.

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Other: 100.0%

Bibliography

J. Schultz (2005): The ecozones of the world: The ecological divisions

of the geosphere. Springer

S. Chapin et al. (2004): Principles of terrestrial ecosystem ecology.

Springer

H.-R. Bork (2006): Landschaften der Erde unter dem Einfluss des

Menschen. Primus-Verlag and WBG