| Topic |
Sub-topic |
| Ecology and environmental crisis |
Ecology in an anthropic biosphere. Planetary limits. Approximations to the study of Ecology. Presentation of the subject. |
| Metabolic diversity of the biosphere |
Energy in the ecosystem. Cycles of matter and flows of energy. Input of energy in the ecosystem. Metabolic pathways. Interaction of metabolic pathways. |
| Circulation of matter in the ecosystem |
Compartments, mass balance and residence time. Oxygen: distribution and redox gradients. Reactions of carbon: warming and acidification. Reactions of nitrogen: eutrophication. Reactions of phosphorus: dynamics in the water-sediment interface. Reactions of sulphur: interaction with the atmosphere |
| Primary production |
Concept and magnitudes. Control of primary production: irradiance and nutrients. Hydrodynamic control of primary production: Sverdrup's model. Spatial and temporal variability of primary production in the marine environment. |
| Secondary production and remineralización of matter |
Secondary production. Herbivorous and decomposers pathways. Efficiencies. Decomposition and remineralización of organic matter. Microbial heterotrophic production. |
| Population Ecology: life-strategies |
Concept of individual and population. Characteristics of the populations. Components of life-strategies. Trade-offs. |
| Dynamics of isolated populations |
Fundamental equation of populational growth. Models of populational growth. Denso-independent growth: exponential model. Denso-independent growth in populations with age structure: life tables, survival curve and Allen diagrams. Denso-dependent growth: logistical model. Variations of the logistical model: response delay, Allee effect. |
| Interactions between species |
Interspecific competition. Experimental evidences of the competition. Competition and ecological niche. Lotka and Volterra competition model. Predation. Functional and numerical responses. Lotka and Volterra predation model. Variations of the Lotka and Volterra model: self-limitation. Positive interactions: mutalism and comensalism. |
| Community structure and function |
Concept, assembling and filters. Specific diversity, biodiversity, specific wealth and functional diversity. Abundance distribution models. Diversity indexes. Relation between diversity and ecosystem functioning. Diversity in space: spectrums and gradients. |
| Food webs |
Topology of food webs. Conectance, diversity and stability. Key species and trophic cascades. Top-down vs bottom-up control. Examples of pelagic and benthic food webs. |
| Community dynamics |
Colonisation and extinction: dynamics of insular communities. Are, distance, rescue and target effects. Implications on habitat reduction and fragmentation. Equilibrium and non-equilibrium: community organisation. Community regulation in equilibrium conditions: effect of the competition; effect of predation. Role on positive interactions: facilitation. Community regulation in non-equilibrium conditions: perturbations. Intermediate perturbation hypothesis. Density-independent models: variable recruitment hypothesis. |
| Ecological succession |
Changes of the community in time: succession and fluctuation. Explanatory models of succession. Succession and diversity. Succession and energy flow. |
| Conservation and management of ecosystems |
Socio-ecological systems. Ecosystem services: offer and demand. Analysis of interactions and identification of conflicts. Bases for ecosystem conservation. Management of ecosystems based on resilience. Non-linear responses and hysteresis. Principles for the maintenance of the ecosystem services. |
