Anthropogenic impact and biodiversity

biological sciences

intermediate

OB2_W12

OB2_U01

OB2_U09

OB2_U13

OB2_K07

Basic knowledge of Polish fauna and threats for wetlands

The course allows to get acquainted with contemporary problems regarding the man and the environment, showing the glows and shadows of civilization development, including the anthropogenic impact on biodiversity. It acquainted with the characteristic fauna of selected urban and rural environments. The course teaches the various forms of communication and information exchanging.

1.Introduction and organizational issues – information regarding rules, requirements and expectations

2.Positive and negative sides of environment management by man. Landscape fragmentation and biodiversity.

3.Municipal sewage and refuse dump. Their importance for fauna – example of Warsaw main drain and refuse dump in Łubna near Piaseczno.

4.Synanthropization and synurbization of animals. Review of typical urban fauna species in different phenological periods (house estate, park, river) - quiz

5.The impact of road infrastructure for animal communities. Habitat fragmentation problems.

6.Agricultural intensification and fauna. Positive and negative impact of agricultural activities on fauna. Review of typical species of meadows, pastures and arable lands.

7.Genetically modified food: pros and cons.

8.The impact of fishery activities on marine fauna.

9.Fish-eating animals and aquaculture – conflicts and how to solve them

10.Forestry and forest fires – the impact on the flora, fauna and biodiversity

11.The impact of tourism on the mountain fauna

12.Alien species invasions (animals and plants) – the impact on native flora, fauna and biodiversity

13.The impact of urbanisation on fauna – examples from the city park and house estate (field excursion)

14.Wisła – urban and suburban part of the river. Adaptation of fauna to the life in the city. Wisła as a corridor for animals penetrating into urban areas

15.The comparison of urban and rural fauna (field excursion)

16.Evaluation and discussion of students’ presentations and summary of the course

Anderwald D. (red.) Ochrona drapieżnych zwierząt a rozwój cywilizacyjny społeczeństw ludzkich. Rogów 2009

Badora K. Autostrada – środowisko przyrodnicze. Studium konfliktów przestrzennych. Opole 2004

Berger L. 2000 Płazy i gady Polski

Buszko-Briggs M., Okołów G. 2002. Płazy i gady Polski

Dobrowolski K.A., Lewandowski K. (red.) Ochrona środowisk wodnych i błotnych w Polsce IE PAN, Dziekanów Leśny 1988

Dombrowski A., Głowacki Z., Jakubowski W. i in. (red.)Korytarz ekologiczny doliny Bugu. Stan – Zagrożenia- Ochrona. IUCN, Warszawa 2002

Gacka-Grzesikiewiecz E. (red.) Korytarz ekologiczny doliny Wisły. Stan – Funkcjonowanie – Zagrożenia. IUCN, Warszawa 1995

Głowaciński Z. (red.) Polska czerwona księga zwierząt PWRiL Warszawa 2001

Godlewska A. Ochrona ptaków w budynkach. Bocian, warszawa 2008

Indykiewicz P., Jerzak J., Barczak T. Faun miast. Ochronić różnorodność biotyczną w miastach. Bydgoszcz 2008

Jankowski W., Świerkosz K. (red.) Korytarz ekologiczny doliny Odry. Stan – Funkcjonowanie – Zagrożenia. IUCN, Warszawa 1995

Lesińki G. Wpływ antropogenicznych przekształceń krajobrazu na strukturę i funkcjonowanie zespołów nietoperzy Polsce. SGGW, Warszawa 2006

Kot H. i Dombrowski A.(red.) Strategia ochrony Fauny na Nizinie Mazowieckiej. MTOF, Siedlce 201

Krogulec J. (red.) Ptaki łąk i mokradeł Polski. Stan populacji, zagrożenia i perspektywy ochrony. IUCN, Warszawa 1998

Nowicki M., Sitnicki S. Ochrona środowiska w praktyce. EkoFundusz, Warszawa 2007

Okołów G. 2007. Kampinoski Park Narodowy Poradniki ochrony siedlisk i gatunków Natura 2000 – podręcznik metodyczny (tomy 1-6) http://natura2000.mos.gov.pl/natura2000/pl/poradnik.php

Stawicka i in. 2006. Wybrane zagadnienia ekologiczne.

Strawiński S. 1971. O ptakach, ludziach i miastach

1. Knowledge:

EK 1 - the student perceives the influence of civilization on nature, predicts and characterizes the effects of human interference on living and non-living nature; explains the causes and effects of physical, chemical and biological degradation of the environment, defining the effects of anthropogenic impact and summarizing its impact on biological biodiversity; Student recognizes basic terms in a foreign language in the field of ecology, biocenology and nature conservation, including those related to inhabited and/or transformed areas (city, village, fields, highways, hydrotechnical building, etc.)

2. Skills:

EK 2 – the student plans and describes (in reports) field-literature projects on the anthropogenic impact on biodiversity (individually or in a team)

EK 3 – the student creates a multimedia presentation (individually or in a team), is able to estimate the time, plan the form and decide on the distribution of roles (in a team presentation) and choice of content; while planning a paper, report or a multimedia presentation uses a wide range of knowledge and information, including studying science publications, online information and mass media, and receiving information in direct consultations with specialists.

EK4 – the student is able to analyze and interpret scientific text; is able to critically evaluate source information regarding the human impact on nature and the environment and find out the causes of the existing hazards and/or the situation; can compare, criticize and evaluate the submitted presentations; knows and uses the basic terminology for the protection of nature and environment in Polish and English.

3. Competences:

EK5 - the student is actively developing environmental awareness, taking the individual and team tasks scheduled for classes; cares about the reliability and credibility of content, remains critical in expressing opinions and caution when using a non-verified information sources (Internet); is able to discuss, accept and appreciate the comments of others; is responsible by taking part in activities in accordance with accepted principles of attendance and punctuality

ECTS

participation in classes - 30

preparing a presentation and reading sources - 30

preparing a report - 30

TOTAL HOURS 90 [90/30 (25) = 3]

Number of ECTS - 3

Knowledge (EK 1):

Grade 2: the student does not recognize and cannot identify the casual relationships between the human activities and various elements of the nature and the environment, does not perceive the influence of civilization on nature, cannot foresee and characterize effects of human intervention on inanimate and inanimate nature, does not explain the causes and effects of physical degradation; is not able to define and summarize the effects of anthropogenic impact on biological biodiversity; does not recognize the basic terms in a foreign language in the field of ecology, biocenology and nature conservation.

Grade 3: the student poorly recognizes and identifies the causal relationships between the human activities and various elements of the nature and the environment, superficially recognizes the impact of civilization on nature, has difficulties to forecast and characterize the effects of human intervention in nature, animate and inanimate; unconvincingly explains the causes and consequences of physical and biological degradation of environment; cannot summarize a synthetic way the anthropogenic impact on biodiversity; has difficulties with the basic terms in a foreign language in the field of ecology, biocenology and nature conservation

Grade 4: the student usually recognizes and identifies the causal relationships between the human activities and the various elements of the environment, recognizes the impact of civilization on nature, can forecast and characterize most effects of human intervention in nature, animate and inanimate; well explains the causes and effects of physical and biological degradation of the environment, can summarize the anthropogenic impact on biodiversity; usually has no difficulties with the basic terms in a foreign language in the field of ecology, biocenology and nature conservation

Grade 5: the student excellently recognizes and identifies causal relationships between the human activities and the various elements of the environment; recognizes the impact of civilization on nature, can forecast and characterize in a brilliant way the effects of human intervention in nature, animate and inanimate, very well explains the causes and consequences of physical and biological degradation of environment and carefully and comprehensively defines the anthropogenic impact on biodiversity; has no difficulties with the basic terms in a foreign language in the field of ecology, biocenology and nature conservation

Skills (EK 2-4):

Grade 2: the student cannot work in a team, is not able to find and/or analyze and interpret information available in libraries and on the Internet, from the experts on a given topic, including critical assessment of the available knowledge about human impact on nature and the environment and cannot find out the causes of the hazards and/or the situation; creates a multimedia presentation, far from the rules and requirements of this form of communication; does not know the specific terminology in the field of nature and environment conservation; cannot compare, criticize and evaluate the submitted presentations; has difficulties to propose changes that might improve the quality of the presentation; cannot make a simple report based on material collected in the field

Grade 3: the student has difficulties with a teamwork; sometimes uncritically analyzes and interprets information available in libraries and on the Internet on a given topic including these on the human impact on nature and environment; has difficulties in defining potential causes of existing threats and/or situations; his /her multimedia presentation complies with the rules and requirements of this form only in a small degree, has difficulties with using specialized terminology in the field of the nature and the environment conservation; while comparing and evaluating different presentations is not very creative; draws simple reports based on material collected in the field, but they are far from ideal

Grade 4: the student can work in teams, usually properly analyzes and interprets information available in libraries and on the Internet on a given topic; creates a multimedia presentation, being able to estimate the time, plan the form and decide on choice of content; usually knows a specialized terminology in the field of the nature and the environment conservation; is trying to be creative while comparing and evaluating different presentations; is able to make a simple report based on material collected in the field

Grade 5: the student excellently organizes and performs work in a team, carefully analyzes and interprets information available in libraries and on the Internet on a given subject, a created multimedia presentation meets all the rules and requirements for this form of communication, in the regime of the time, content and form; knows and uses specialized terminology in the field of nature conservation and the environment; can in an open and creative way compare, criticize and evaluate the submitted presentations; proposed changes are always insightful and deliberate and can improve the quality of the presentation, the reports drawn up are complete, reliable and accurate in content and prepared conscientiously.

Competence (EK 5):

Grade 2: the student does not perform scheduled tasks during the course, is not able to work in a team, does not care about the reliability and credibility of content, does not remain critical in expressing opinions and is not careful about using unverified sources of information (the Internet), can not appreciate the feedback and comments from colleagues and does not take the discussion about the presentation and the presented issue, is unpunctual, often leaves classes

Grade 3: the student is not very involved in performing the tasks planned for the course, has difficulties with working in a team, often does not care about the accuracy and reliability of the presented content; is not critical in expressing opinions and often careless with the use of unverified sources of information (Internet), he can not fully appreciate the comments of colleagues, discusses rarely and not very creatively, sometimes is unpunctual, leaves classes

Grade 4: the student undertakes to perform the tasks scheduled during the course, works reliably in a team, cares about the credibility of the presented contents, is trying to be critical in the expression of opinions and cautious while using unverified sources of information (the Internet), is able to appreciate the comments of colleagues, is open and creative in expressing his/her opinion, is punctual and attends classes conscientiously.

Grade 5: the student is very willing to carry out the tasks during the course and does not have the slightest problem with working in a team, cares about the reliability and credibility of the presented content, retains insight and criticism in the expression of opinion, is careful when using unverified sources information (the Internet), can fully appreciate the comments of colleagues, and is very active, in an open and creative way takes the polemic; is conscientious and responsible.

Methods of assessment

The final grade is composed of:

1. the evaluation of multimedia presentations prepared as a team. The evaluation will assess the form, content and presentation

2. the evaluation of a written report based on literature and materials collected in the field. The evaluation will assess the form and content of the report.

3. an activity during classes

4. the number of absences and lateness

The final grade is the arithmetic average of the individual evaluation of the team presentation and evaluation of the written report. Team presentation and evaluation of the report may increase (in the case of best-in-class) or decrease (in the case of the worst in the group) individual assessment of 0.5 degrees.

Significant activity in the classroom increases the scores of the presentation according to the formula: evaluation of presentation + (0.125 x number of classes in which the student was active). Absence and tardiness reduce final assessment in accordance with the principle: for the third and each subsequent absence from the final assessment is reduced by 0.5 x number of consecutive absences, lateness to class any more than 10 minutes = 0.5 absences