THE ECOSYSTEM OF THE VENETIAN LAGOON

Academic year
2018/2019 Syllabus of previous years
Official course title
ECOSISTEMA DELLA LAGUNA VENEZIANA
Course code
SIE027 (AF:299061 AR:164584)
Modality
ECTS credits
6
Degree level
Corso di Perfezionamento
Educational sector code
BIO/07
Period
1st Semester
Course year
1
Where
VENEZIA
The course provides an overview on the Venice lagoon environment
from an ecological perspective. The general aim is contributing to the
knowledge necessary for understanding ecosystem services, effects
of anthropogenic pressures on the lagoon, and management
requirements in the context of global changes. An introduction on
basic ecological principles is provided, by using specific examples
from marine ecology. The focus is at different levels – individual,
population, community, ecosystem and landscape. The course will
help understanding adaptations of plant and animal organisms in the
lagoon environment, the factors that regulate population growth and
the species spatial distribution in different habitats, the role of
biological interactions in determining the structure of communities
and the functioning of food webs, the biogeochemical cycling of
elements in the lagoon ecosystem.
- Ecology as a science, an introduction. Mediterranean lagoons. The lagoon of Venice, geo-morphological aspects, historical introduction;
- Ecology of the organisms: aquatic and terrestrial environment;
- Adaptations of individuals: limiting factors and ecological niches;
- Primary production in the lagoon: phytoplankton, macroalgae, sea-grasses;
- Secondary production in the lagoons: benthos, fish;
- Populations: examples of interactions in the lagoon, competition and predation;
- Grazing versus detritus chains: food webs in the lagoon of Venice;
- Seasonality, the role of physical factors in controlling the dynamics of the lagoon ecosystem;
- Bio-geochemistry of the Venice lagoon: the role of sediments, detritus and nutrient cycles;
- Submerged macro and micro habitats of the lagoon: dominant species and their abundance, structure of the community;
- Salt marshes and dunes, birds, vegetation and associated ecosystem services;
- Fisheries and aquaculture in the lagoon and in the nearby “Valli da pesca”;
- The Venice lagoon: history of interventions, conservation and restoration activities.
- Climate change and the lagoon, expected impacts and adaptation.
Elements of ecology, 9th edition, by Thomas Smith, Robert Smith,
Pearson, 2015.
Marine ecology. Processes, systems and impacts (second edition).
M.J. Kaiser et al., 2011. Oxford University Press.
During the lecture students are invited to debate the topics presented in class. Powerpoints will be made available.
English
Written test.
Definitive programme.