Course: Ecology of Montane Ecosystems

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Course title Ecology of Montane Ecosystems
Course code KBO/307
Organizational form of instruction Lecture + Lesson
Level of course Master
Year of study not specified
Frequency of the course In each academic year, in the winter semester.
Semester Winter
Number of ECTS credits 6
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course Compulsory, Compulsory-optional
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements unspecified
Recommended optional programme components None
Course availability The course is available to visiting students
Lecturer(s)
  • Lukavský Jaromír, RNDr. Ph.D.
  • Doležal Jiří, doc. Mgr. Ph.D.
Course content
Content of lectures: 1. Mountains. Origin by: folding, volcanic, erosion. Influence of age. Characteristics of vegetation: stratification, precipitation shadow, border of alpine zone, dependence to mountain size. Strategy of survive of plants, limits of their occurrence. 2. Lakes. Origin: glacial, volcanic, termokartic, karstic, meteorite. Fishpond-reservoir-lake-pool. Stratification: dimictic, monomictic, amictic, polymictic, polar, dystrophic, pools and back waters. Lakes as archives for paleolimnology. Acidification: trends and results. Species richness. Lake Černé: Plankton, benthos, Isoetes, history.3. Rivers. River continuum. Movement of water and consequences for survive strategy, nutrition. Brooks. Benthos, potamon, hyporheos. Principal groups of algae.4.Cryoseston. Definition, occurrence limits, survival strategy, function of cryoseston in polar regions. Algal cryoseston.5. Bogs. Classification and origin. Characteristics of environment. Torfobiont flora and algae. Paleoecology. Red peat bog.6. Tepuis. Origin, flora. Island phenomenon.7. Arctic and Antarctis. Characteristics of polar regions, oasis, endolithic algae, terraforming of Mars. Cryoseston, glacial brooks, paleoecology, core from Antarctic glacial, long-term changes of Earth.8. Adaptation and aclimation, ontogeny, speciation, geographic isolation, chorology, polyploidisation, flowering, pollination. Strategy survival of plants on non-stabile substrata, growth rates. Organisms at frontier of life.9.Laboratory models. Gradients, extreme conditions modelling in laboratory devices. Temperature, light, nutrients.10. Collecting. Methods of collecting and studying of algae in mountains. Content of practices: Microscoping and determination of samples. Laboratory devices, anatomical age and growth analyses.

Learning activities and teaching methods
Work with text (with textbook, with book), Demonstration, Laboratory, Activating (simulations, games, drama), Excursion, Individual tutoring, Practical training
  • Class attendance - 40 hours per semester
  • Field trip - 30 hours per semester
  • Preparation for credit - 20 hours per semester
  • Preparation for exam - 20 hours per semester
  • Semestral paper - 20 hours per semester
Learning outcomes
The aim of the lecture is to acquaint students with current knowledge of ecology of mountain ecosystems. The aim is to introduce the basics of ecology of mountains, main groups of organisms, especially plants including cyanobacteria and algae; the main habitats where mountain plants live. Teaching will be focused on morphological, anatomical and physiological adaptations of mountain plants exposed to stress and disturbances. We will discuss and analyze plant responses to current warming and decrease in snowfall. The course is not only a theory, great emphasis will be put on practical aspects, including monitoring vegetation changes, establishing experiments, anatomical analysis of age and growth of mountain plants, herbochronology, climatic analysis, plant-plant interaction, and interaction of mountain plants with soil microorganisms. The course will also teach students to evaluate diversity and growth data (especially in the R program). The course is largely based on our research experience from various mountains (Himalayas, African volcanoes, Japanese Aples, Korea, United States).
Key elements of the course include an analysis of the impacts of current climate change on the structure and diversity of mountain plant and cyanobacterial communities, their adaptation mechanisms on cold, drought, disturbance and nutrient availability. Great emphasis will be put on the practical side to teach students how to collect and analyze data to determine the age of alpine plants, growth rate, volume and diversity of cyanobacteria and algae. We assume that the students have basic information on plant morphology, anatomy and phycology.
Prerequisites
The lecture does not strictly require specific input knowledge. We assume basic knowledge of plant taxonomy and morphology, vegetation ecology, soil biology, biostatistics and phycology.

Assessment methods and criteria
Oral examination, Seminar work

Attendance at the excursion, presentation of 30 min. contribution at the end of the course on a selected topic and one page summary of three scientific articles from the recommended literature. The lecture does not strictly require specific input knowledge. We assume basic knowledge of plant taxonomy, plant, morphology, anatomy, vegetation ecology, soil biology and biostatistics.
Recommended literature
  • Angel A, Conrad R, Dvorský M, Kopecký M, Kotilínek M, Hiiesalu I, Schweingruber F, Doležal J 2016. The Root-Associated Microbial Community of the World?s Highest Growing Vascular Plants. Microbial Ecology 72: 394?406..
  • Čapková K, Hauer T, Řeháková K, Doležal J 2015. Some like it high! Phylogenic diversity of high-elevation cyanobacterial community from biological soil crusts of Western Himalaya. Microbial Ecology 71, 113?123..
  • Devettera M, Háněl L, Řeháková K, Doležal J 2017. Diversity and feeding strategies of soil microfauna along elevation gradients in Himalayan cold deserts. Plos ONE, 12 (11), e0187646.
  • Dolezal, J., Dvorsky, M., Kopecký, M., Altman, J., Mudrak, O., Čapková, K., Rehakova, K., Macek, M., Liancourt, P. 2018. Functionally distinct assembly of vascular plants colonizing alpine cushions suggests their vulnerability to climate change. Annals of Botany, 123 (4), 569?578..
  • Dolezal J, Klimes A, Dvorsky M, Riha P, Klimesova J, Schweingruber F 2019. Disentangling evolutionary, environmental and morphological drivers of plant anatomical adaptations to drought and cold in Himalayan graminoids. Oikos, doi 10.1111/oik.06451.
  • Doležal, Dvorský, Borner A, Wild J, Schweingruber F. 2018. Anatomy, age and ecology of high-mountain plants in Ladakh, the Western Himalaya. Springer, 616 p..
  • Doležal J, Dvorský M, Kopecký M, Liancourt P, Hiiesalu I, Macek M, Altman J, Chlumská Z, Řeháková K, Čapková K, Borovec J, Mudrak O, Wild J, Schweingruber F 2016. Vegetation dynamics at the upper elevational limit of vascular plants in Himalaya. Scientific Reports 6, 24881..
  • Doležal J, Kopecký M, Dvorský M, Macek M, Řeháková K, Čapková K, Borovec J, Schweingruber F, Liancourt P, Altman J. 2019. Sink limitation of plant growth determines treeline in the arid Himalayas. Functional Ecology 33: 553-565.
  • Dvorský M, Chlumská Z, Altman J, Čapková K, Řeháková K, Macek M, Kopecký M, Liancourt P, Doležal J. 2016. Gardening in the zone of death: an experimental assessment of the absolute elevation limit of vascular plants. Scientific Reports 6:24440.
  • Dvorský M, Macek M, Kopecký, M, Wild J, Doležal J 2017. Niche asymmetry of vascular plants increases with elevation. Journal of Biogeography 44: 1418?1425..
  • Elmendorf, S. C., Henry, G. H., Hollister, R. D., Björk, R. G., Bjorkman, A. D., Callaghan, T. V., ? Wookey, P. A. (2012). Global assessment of experimental climate warming on tundra vegetation: Heterogeneity over space and time. Ecology Letters, 15(2), 164?175..
  • Klimeš L., & Doležal, J. (2010). An experimental assessment of the upper elevational limit of flowering plants in the Western Himalayas. Ecography, 33, 590?596..
  • Klimešová, J., Doležal, J., & Šťastná, P. (2013). Growth of the alpine herb Rumex alpinus over two decades: effect of climate fluctuations and local conditions. Plant Ecology, 213, 1071?1084..
  • Körner, C. (2003). Alpine plant life. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag..
  • Körner, C. (2012). Alpine Treelines. Functional Ecology of the Global High Elevation Tree Limits. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag..
  • Kotilínek M, Hiiesalu I, Košnar J, Šmilauerová M, Šmilauer P, Altman J, Dvorsky M, Kopecký M, Doležal, J 2017. Fungal root symbionts of high-altitude vascular plants in the Himalaya. Scientific Reports 7: 6562.
  • Le Bagousse-Pinguet Y, Liancourt P, Götzenberger L, de Bello F, Altman J, Brozova V, Chlumska, Z, Dvorsky, M, Capkova K, Kopecky M, Rehakova K, Riha P, Leps J, Dolezal J 2017. A multi-scale approach reveals random phylogenetic patterns at the edge of vascular plant life. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 30, 22-30..
  • Liancourt P, Le Bagousse-Pinguet Y, Rixen C, Dolezal J 2017. SGH: Stress or Strain Gradient Hypothesis? Insights from an elevation gradient on the roof of the world. Annals of Botany 120: 29?38..
  • Rehakova K, Capkova K, Hrouzek P, Koblizek M, Dolezal J 2019. Microbial photosynthetic and photoprotective pigments in Himalayan soils originating from different elevations and successional stages. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 132, 153-164.
  • Řeháková K, Čapková K, Dvorský M, Kopecký M, Altman J, Šmilauer P, Doležal J 2017. Interactions between soil phototrophs and vascular plants in Himalayan cold desert. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 115: 568?578..


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester
Faculty: Faculty of Science Study plan (Version): Botany (1) Category: Biology courses - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: Winter
Faculty: Faculty of Science Study plan (Version): Botany (1) Category: Biology courses - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: Winter
Faculty: Faculty of Science Study plan (Version): Zoology (1) Category: Biology courses - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: Winter