Syllabus
Ecosystem - concept, layers, holism x reductionism, complex adaptive system. Gaia. Ecosystem functions. Dynamics and stability of the ecosystem. Savanna question. Resistance, resilience and diversity, ecosystem services. Classification, examples?
Gross climatic picture - basic global patterns (climatic cells), seasonality, air/atmosphere properties, wind 🡪 surface sea currents, thermohaline conveyor belt. Earth climate history → biosphere/ecosystem shaping and consequences for present
This might (in terms of schedule) overflow to next week ↓
Global energetics of Earth - energy distribution, greenhouse effect, energy transfers (sea currents). A comparison with energy budget of humans. Hydrological cycle - global and local - concept of Biotic pump (Makarieva, Gorshkov)
Global biogeochemic cycles - carbon (sources and sinks, focus on CO2, sequestration,, CH4. Anthropogenic shares (this more elaborated in environmental issues). Nitrogen - fixation, denitrification, rocks as a source. Phosphorus - sources, mykorrhiza, transoceanic transport, deposits to sediments - incl phosphate trap. Sulphur (anoxygenic photosynthesis, sea aerosols, DMS). Silica - perhaps?Ecosystem role of microbes (bacteria, arechea, protists?) in carbon/nutrient cycling, stoichiometric constraits. This lecture should extend previous more general lecture - insight to particular/specific ecosystems (cryosphere, deep biosphere, thermal vents, live in anoxy … etc)
Ecosystem energetics - primary production, autotrophy, photosynthesis, chemolithotrophy. PP/biomass relations, global patterns of biomass/PP, their limits. Energetic efficiency of food webs. (measuring PP, perhaps). …
Aquatic realm I. - limits and advantages of aquatic environment(s) - intro to water as physical environment (pressure, temperature,viscosity, … mixing etc…) Role of Co2/C03- in aquatic ecosystems
Aquatic realm II - Morphological, physiological and behavioral (and other) adaptations to aquatic environment: Senses, movement, feeding, antipredatory adaptations etc...)
Aquatic realm III - Aquatic food webs, primary/secondary production, carp ponds, eutrophication, acidification?, seasonal changes …
Terrestrial realm I - limits and advantages of terrestrial environments: water business, evapotranspiration, gradients - elevation/ treeline etc,
Primary productivity/biomass - global patterns, limits
Terrestrial realm II - biomechanics, senses, thermoregulation… = (not only) classic view on individual x environment interactions.
Terrestrial realm III Succession, climax, seasonal changes, disturbances (fires, floods, landslides etc..
How the World really works - sensu Smil - current environmental issues (climatic change) plus biological invasions and other (even perhaps past) issues - acid rains, czech carp ponds tragedy… ?
Annotation
The course AE I intends to give an insight into ecosystem ecology, with focus on general ecosystem concepts and global patterns. We intentionally avoid biome classifying approach to keep coherent picture of Earth climate, energetics, water and nutrient (re)cycling through the biosphere, with a hindsight to Earth history.
We like to present an overview of biological solutions to cope with environmental conditions and to exploit the resources needed for life. Indeed we do distinguish terrestrial and aquatic realms as they “work” in very different physical conditions setting specific constraints for each.
We deal neither with topics regarding population and community ecology (up to macroecological scales) nor biodiversity patterns - those are presented in Advanced Ecology II lecture.