URBAN ECOLOGY
Academic year and teacher
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2016/2017
- Teacher
- MARILENA LEIS
- Credits
- 6
- Didactic period
- Primo Semestre
- SSD
- BIO/07
Training objectives
- The main knowledges (to know) will be:
• Basic elements for management of urban ecosystems.
• Main methods for recognizing the problems related to noise and air pollution.
• Knowledges about the damage on cultural heritage and health problems arising from the presence, in urban ecosystem, of vectors of diseases that can affect on humans and pets.
• Knowledge of the basic techniques for study, observing and monitoring urban biodiversity.
• Understanding the concept of sustainability applied to urban ecosystems
The main skills (ie the ability to apply their knowledge) will be:
• Knowing how to observe the city with a look that is both competent and critical to correctly interpret the macro and microscopic traces resulting from the presence of organisms.
• Knowing how to correlate the principal environmental risks in urban ecosystem with the different human activities.
• To recognize the traces of urban pests, and to know to implement the most appropriate forms of management.
• Being able to choose, between the different techniques presented, the most suitable for the evaluation of various forms of urban biodiversity (plant and animal).
• Become more aware and critical towards the political decisions on environmental issues. Prerequisites
- Are not indicated prerequisites, but are required basic knowledge of ecology and zoology
Course programme
- The flow of matter and energy in urban ecosystems. The energy needs of a city and the consequent environmental impact.
The urban climate: temperature, humidity and wind.
The city and water: problems in supplying drinking water. Reuse of purified water.
Chemical and air pollution in urban areas.
Disposal of Municipal Solid Waste.
Urban vegetation: plants "urbicae" and quality of the environment. Urban green role.
The urban ecosystem biodiversity. The man-made environment and animal control: mice and rats in the cities, cats colonies, urban ornithology, insects and other arthropods in the cities.
Demographic and social aspects.
Sustainability in urban ecosystems.
Health and quality of urban life.
Health aspects and perspectives - city-health relations in history. Health aspects in home and outside home. Mosquitoes and other pests in urban environments: risks to public health. Didactic methods
- Will be conducted lectures and, through practical exercises (12 hours), it will be able to recognize the main urban pests by use of optical microscopes and stereo microscopes.
It will be made at least one visit (4 hours)to acquire the correct methods of investigation and to the development of the most appropriate management practices. Learning assessment procedures
- The verifications will be carried out to verify that the candidate has reached the objectives. Normally an oral examination will be carried out by placing three questions (each question will be awarded the maximum 10 points) and a Power Point presentation made by the candidate on the translation of an article in English. This article will be freely chosen by the candidate in line with the arguments of the program and the presentation can come praise.
If the candidate asks to take the exam in written form will be administered a questionnaire of 15 questions (10 closed with 4 possible answers, and 5 open) and every correct answer will be given a score of 0.5. Reference texts
- They will provide specific handouts and specialist articles on the the most topical issues.
