|
Lecturer(s)
|
-
Novotný Vojtěch, prof. RNDr. CSc.
|
|
Course content
|
Content of lectures: 1. What is interesting and special about the tropics - abiotic and biotic characteristics of tropical ecosystems in comparison with Central Europe. 2. Tropical biodiversity - where it comes from and how is it maintained. 3. Wooden violets & co. - on the nature of tropical vegetation. 4. Herbivores, predators and parasites - upper strata of food webs in tropical ecosystems. 5. Fig wasps and other curiosities - tropical specialities in inter-specific relationships. 6. Ecosystems in tropical landscapes - field guide for travellers in exotic countries. 7. Biodiversity par excellence - how tropical rain forests and coral reefs work. 8. Tropics are not all the same - comparative ecology of four continents. 9. Tropical stroll along ecological gradients - altitudinal and latitudinal. 10. What happened and what is happening on tropical islands - evolution and ecology in "natural laboratories". 11. Man as an ecological factor in tropical nature - a little of applied anthropology. 12. Will they survive the year 3000? - march of civilisation in the tropics and nature conservation. 13. When shall we understand the ecology of the tropics? - what and how was studied and will be studied in the tropics. Content of practices: Seminars will include reading, discussion and reports on selected papers on various aspects of tropical ecology. Content of practices: Discussion of selected key papers on tropical ecology.
|
|
Learning activities and teaching methods
|
Monologic (reading, lecture, briefing), Dialogic (discussion, interview, brainstorming)
- Class attendance
- 60 hours per semester
|
|
Learning outcomes
|
The course offers an overview of the ecology of tropical ecosystems, with particular focus on the functional and evolutionary aspects. It includes principal topics of general and evolutionary ecology in the context of tropical ecosystems. Conservation of tropical biodiversity and methods of ecological research in the tropics are also covered.
The knowledge of fundamental principles of tropical ecosystems functions, and principles of their conservation.
|
|
Prerequisites
|
Familiarity with basic ecological principles.
|
|
Assessment methods and criteria
|
Test
Credits for practicals based on attendance and active participation in the discussion of research papers. The exam requires correct answers to at least 60% of test questions.
|
|
Recommended literature
|
-
Morley, R. J. Origin and Evolution of Tropical Rain Forests, John Wiley & Sons, London, 2000.
-
Osborne, P. J. Tropical Ecosystems and Ecological Concepts. Cambridge Univ. Press., Cambridge, 2000.
-
Richards, P. W. The Tropical Rainforest. Cambridge Univ. Press., Cambridge, 1998.
-
Whitmore, T. M. An Introduction to Tropical Rain Forests, 2nd edition, Oxford Univ. Press., Oxford, 1998.
-
Wood, R. Reef Evolution. Oxford Univ. Press., Oxford, 1999.
-
Ghazoul J, Sheil D. Tropical Rain Forest Ecology, Diversity, and Conservation. Oxford, 2010.
-
Kricher J. Tropical Ecology. Princeton, 2011. ISBN 9780691115139.
|