General ecology

biological sciences

Lectures: BI1_W04, BI1_W06,

The aim of the course is to acquaint students with a range of subjects of in ecology and with basic research methods used in ecology. The content of the lecture covers the basic issues of general ecology, including the relationship between organisms and between organisms and their environment, ecological processes, circulation of matter and the energetic balance of ecosystems and the biosphere.

The aim of the course is to acquaint students with a range of subjects of in ecology and with basic research methods used in ecology. The content of the lecture covers the basic issues of general ecology, including (i) factors shaping conditions of life on Earth, (ii) metabolic strategies of organisms, (iii) major biogeochemical cycles, (iv) functioning of biomes and ecosystems, (v) factors influencing the biodiversity in local and global scale, (vi) interspecific interactions, (vii) processes occurring in populations

Knowledge:

the graduate knows and understands selected facts, objects and complex conditions in ecology at an advanced level, understands basic ecological phenomena and processes

the graduate knows and understands the most important problems of ecology necessary to understand basic phenomena and processes occurring in Nature, knows the connections between ecology and other disciplines of biology

the graduate is familiar with and understands basic conceptual categories and ecological terminology, and has knowledge of the advancements of ecology and the research methods used in this discipline

the graduate knows the basic techniques and research methods used in ecology at a level that allows their use to analyze biological phenomena

the graduate knows the relationships between the progress of ecology and the possibilities of its use in socio-economic context, taking into account the sustainable utilization of biodiversity

Skills:

the graduate is able to properly select sources of information on topics related to general ecology, reads and understands scientific texts in the field of general ecology, and independently plans and implements his/her own learning

Social competences:

the graduate is ready to correctly identify and resolve dilemmas related to general ecology in relation to practicing her/his profession

Description of the ECTS

Participation in the lectures – 30 hrs.

Participation in the classes – 30 hrs.

Preparing to the classes – 15 hrs.

Performing independent investigations/observations, literature survey/writing a report – 30 hrs.

Preparing to exams – 15 hrs.

Total hrs.: 120

No ECTS: 120 hrs. / 30(25) hrs. ca. 4

Assessment criteria:

Knowledge

grade 2: the student does not know the basic ecological concepts and terms; cannot list and explain the basic ecological phenomena and processes; has no knowledge of general ecology and/or its relations to the other branches of biology; cannot list the applications of ecological achievements in socio-economic life

grade 3: the student has a limited knowledge of the basic ecological phenomena and processes; has very narrow knowledge of the topics of general ecology; has a poorly structured knowledge of ecological concepts and terms and basic techniques and methods of research in general ecology

grade 4: the student has full knowledge of the basic ecological phenomena and processes; has a well-grounded knowledge of general ecology; correctly explains most basic ecological phenomena and processes, discusses the relationship between them, and also their significance for life on Earth; lists and correctly explains most of the basic techniques and research methods in ecology, can assign methods to simple research tasks; discusses applications of ecological achievements in socio-economic life, critically discusses the possibilities of applying ecological knowledge in managing the natural environment

grade 5: the student has full knowledge of the basic ecological phenomena and processes; has a well-grounded knowledge of the basic topics of general ecology and its links with other fields of biology; has complete knowledge of ecological phenomena and processes that he discusses referring to knowledge from other fields of biology; lists and explains the basic techniques and research methods used in ecology, and correctly selects the methods and techniques needed to solve simple research tasks; has complete knowledge of the most important uses of ecological knowledge in socio-economic life

Skills

grade 2: the students is unable to list and explain basic scientific techniques and methods used in general ecology; cannot find sources of reliable information on ecology; cannot properly present the content of simple texts in ecology; does not show progress in gaining knowledge of ecology

grade 3: the student is able to discuss in a limited way the applications of ecological research in socio-economic life; only refers the content of simple texts in ecology without referring to his/her own thoughts on a given topic; is able to find, often with errors, only the most easily accessible sources of information without giving them a critical evaluation; he/she gains the knowledge passively without showing any deeper involvement

grade 4: the student is able to effectively analyze, summarize and present simple texts on general ecology, critically discusses some of the topics presented in the texts; carefully selects sources of scientific information, guided by the critical evaluation of their content

grade 5: the student is able to effectively analyze, summarize and present simple scientific texts in general ecology, critically discusses the issues presented in these papers, and at times he/she also proposes original solutions to the problems presented in these works; looks for expert scientific sources, including electronic publications, webpages of research institutions and teams, etc.; while deepening her/his knowledge she/he goes beyond the subject matter of the classes

Competences

grade 2: the student does not show any involvement in the course

grade 3: the student only in a limited way deepens and updates his/her knowledge; only occasionally participates in discussions, formulates his/her own statements and constructive critical comments; only infrequently reaches popular science magazines and professional electronic sources

grade 4: the student demonstrates an active interest in the subject, raises questions, seeks answers for them; often takes an active part in discussions, makes her/his own speeches, and constructs critical remarks; often reads popular science magazines and professional electronic sources

grade 5: the student demonstrates an active interest in the subject, raises questions, seeks answers for them; regularly takes an active part in discussions, makes her/his own speeches, and constructs critical remarks; regularly reads popular science magazines and professional electronic sources

Subjects to evaluation:

Lectures:

- written exam (single-choice tests plus 4 questions needing to be completed with missing information). At least 50.1% of correct answers are required to pass the exam

- taking the final exam is conditional on completion of the classes in ecology

Classes:

- activity during classes (completion of the tasks received)

- final test (written); to pass the test it is necessary to obtain the usual 50% plus one point

No practice available