Universidade Nova de Lisboa

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Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

Terrestrial Ecology

Code

5346

Academic unit

Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

Department

Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente

Credits

4.0

Teacher in charge

Maria Teresa Calvão Rodrigues

Weekly hours

3

Total hours

54

Teaching language

Português

Objectives

As ecology is an interdisciplinary subject, in this course students will have the oportunity to integrate knowledge acquired in several diferent disciplines. The objective of this course is  - to provide students with a basic understanding of how and why terrestrial plants and animals are distributed at local, landscape, and global scales- to examine the principles on the relationships between terrestrial life and both biotic and abiotic factors in the environment, - to increase awareness of human-induced changes and how they are affecting ecological processes at multiple scales By the end of the course students will be able to explain the spatial distribution of the major terrestrial biomes, their structure and basic functioning mechanisms and the changes that have occurred in the vegetation of Portugal.  In the practical classes students will learn how to work with ArcGis and they will perform several exercises on modeling the distribution of vegetation communities, through the manipulation and integration of different environmental parameters. By the end of the course students will acquire skills to execute operations in ArcGis in order to study natural resources. 

Prerequisites

No special requirements are needed.

Subject matter

Theoretical classes 


 1. The interface between Climate and Vegetation – Global climate patterns.

2. Mediterranean type vegetation

3. Vegetation of Portugal: Potential vegetation and present vegetation. Landscape       change. Protected species. Protected areas. Legislation. Invasive species

4. Fauna form Portugal

5. Biomes: Regional distribution; Climate; Soils; The vegetation history; Vegetation adaptive strategies, spatial structure; Energy flow and productivity. Biogeochemical cycling; Fauna; Impact of human activities on ecosystem processes.           

  • Tundra
  • Northern coniferous forests
  • Temperate grasslands
  • Temperate deciduous forests           
  • Laurisilva (Evergreen broadleaved subtropical forests)       
  • Deserts           
  • Savannas           
  • Tropical deciduous forests          
  • Tropical rain forests

Bibliography

GLOBAL CLIMATE PATTERNS
DEMANGEOT, J. 1984. Les milieux "naturels" du globe. Masson S.A., Paris, 250 pp.

BIOMES
ARCHIBOLD, O. W. 1995. Ecology of world vegetation. Chapman & Hall, 510 pp.
BARBOUR, M. G., BURK, J. H. & PITTS, W. D. 1987. Terrestrial plant ecology, second edition. The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Inc., Menlo Park, California, 634 pp.
DEMANGEOT, J. 1984. Les milieux "naturels" du globe. Masson S.A., Paris, 250 pp.
GODRON, M. 1984. Écologie de la végétation terrestre. Masson S.A, Paris,196 pp.
LEMPS, H. de. 1970. La végétation de la terre. Masson et Cie, Éditeurs, Paris, 143 pp.
WALTER, H. 1985. Vegetation of the Earth and ecological systems of the geo-biosphere, third edition. Springer-Verlag, 318 pp.


MEDITERRANEAN VEGETATION

ARCHIBOLD, O. W. 1995. Ecology of world vegetation. Chapman & Hall, 510 pp.
CASTRI, F. Di. 1981. Mediterranean-type shrublands of the world. In: Mediterranean-type shrublands. (F. Di Castri, D. W. Goodall e R. L. Specht, Eds.), Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, pp. 1-52.
CORREIA, O. C. A. 1988. Contribuição da fenologia e ecofisiologia em estudos de sucessão e dinâmica da vegetação mediterrânica. Dissertação apresentada para obtenção do grau de Doutor em Biologia (Ecologia e Biossistemática). Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, 196 pp.
DELL, B., HOPKINS, A. J. M. & LAMONT, B. B. (editors). 1986. Resilience in mediterranean-type ecosystems. Dr W. Junk Publishers, 168 pp. Tasks for Vegetation Science, 16.
DI CASTRI, F. & MOONEY, H. A. (editors). 1973. Mediterranean type ecosystems: origin and structure. Springer-Verlag, 405 pp. Ecological Studies, 7.
GÓMEZ-CAMPO, C. (editor). 1985. Plant conservation in the Mediterranean area. Dr W. Junk Publishers, 269 pp.
IBÁÑEZ, J. J., VALERO GARCÉS, B. L. & MACHADO, C. (eds.). 1997. El paisaje mediterráneo a través del espacio y del tiempo. Implicaciones en la desertificación. Geoforma Ediciones, Logroño, 478 pp.
MILLER, P. C. (Editor). 1981. Resource use by chaparral and matorral. A comparison of vegetation function in two mediterranean type ecosystems. Springer-Verlag, 455 pp. Ecological Studies 39.
OVINGTON, J. D. (editor) 1983. Temperate broad-leaved evergreen forests. Elsevier, 241 pp. Ecosystems of the World, 10.
SPECHT, R. L. (editor) 1988. Mediterranean-type ecosystems. A data source book. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 248 pp.
TENHUNEN, J. D., CATARINO, F. M., LANGE, O. L. & OECHEL, W. C. (editors). 1987. Plant response to stress. Functional analysis in mediterranean ecosystems. Springer-Verlag.


VEGETATION OF PORTUGAL
ALVES, J. M. S., ESPÍRITO SANTO, M. D., COSTA, J. C., GONÇALVES, J. H. C. e LOUSÃ, M. F. 1998. Habitats naturais e seminaturais de Portugal continental. Tipos de habitats mais significativos e agrupamentos vegetais característicos. Instituto da Conservação da Natureza, Lisboa, 167 pp.
COSTA, J. C., AGUIAR, C, CAPELO, J. H., LOUSÃ, M. & NETO, C. 1998. Biogeografia de Portugal Continental. Quercetea, 0: 1-56.

Teaching method

Theoretical classes: Lectures

Practical classes: manipulation of digital information using a GIS (ArcGis)

Evaluation method

 

The theoretical classes will account for 60% of the final grade and the practical part 40%. To be awarded a passing grade, the student will have to attend ¾ of the practical classes and have a mark no less than 9.5 in either the theoretical or practical component.

 

 Evaluation Mode: Distributed evaluation without final exam or work (evaluation mode 2, form the Regulamento de Avaliação da FCT ).

 

Attention: midterm examinations are mandatory. Final Exam will only be possible for students who want to improve the grade.

 

Theoretical classes: There will be five written in-class midterm examinations during the semester. A student has necessarily to attend at least two of them.

 

If a student attends all five midterm examinations, the lowest mark will be dropped, so the final grade will be computed with the four highest midterm marks.

 

If a student attends four midterm examinations the final grade will be computed as: (T1+T2+T3+T4)/4

 

If a student attends three midterm examinations the final grade will be computed as: (T1+T2+T3)/4

 

If a student attends two midterm examinations the final grade will be computed as: (T1+T2)/4

 

Midterm examinations will primarily cover information presented after the preceding examination, but may also cover earlier information, especially for comparison purposes. There will be no “cumulative” section per se. Midterm examinations will be a combination of multiple choice, fill in the blank, matching, and longer answers.

 

 Practical classes: The evaluation will consist on two written reports (teamwork) based on exercises performed during the practical classes. The reports must be turned in on the due date (on the first day of classes the calendar for the turning in of the reports will be presented). There will be a penalty for reports turned in after the due date (one value less for each day of delay).

 

Students are required to read practical handouts prior to each class, take them to class and keep a copy of the files produced during their work, necessary to include in the reports.

 

Communication with the students will be performed through CLIP system. It is the responsibility of the students to check if it is working correctly.

 

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