Ecological Engineering (250MEA002) – Course 2024/25 PDF
Syllabus
Learning Objectives
.Ecological engineering encompasses the knowledge required to restore the ecological value of ecosistems afected by human beings and also develop new ecosystems with both human and ecological value. Specific objectives of the course are: 1) Understand the relation between biotic and abiotic factors within an ecosystem. 2) To know the most common parameters that define the quality of an ecosystem, before and after the restoration. 3) To know most common techniques and procedure of the restoration of ecosystems 4) To learn how to numerical estimate some of the most common parameters that define the quality of and ecosystem 5) To know the most common numerical tools (biological indexes) that are used to estimate and follow the quality of an ecosystem
Total hours of student work
| Hours | Percentage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supervised Learning | Large group | 35h | 77.78 % | |
| Laboratory classes | 10h | 22.22 % | ||
| Self Study | 80h | |||
Teaching Methodology
The course is organized in sessions (3 hours/session). General estructure of each session is that of 2 hors theory + 1 hour numerical exercises (as long as the theory is enough to address the numerical exercises). Although most of the sessions will be given in the language indicated, sessions supported by other occasional guest experts may be held in other languages.
Grading Rules
The evaluation calendar and grading rules will be approved before the start of the course.
The rating of the course is based on the rating of each of tasks that encompasses the continuous evaluation. More precisely, the evaluation tasks are: 1) 4 activities based on the oral defense of 41 case-study on the restoration of a either a freshwater ecosystem or a marine ecosystems (15% of the overall course rating); 2) writting of a scientific paper (15% of overall rating) and an oral presentation (15% of overall ratin) of the experimental data provided by the professors on the health recovery of an unhealthy soil; 3) Report on the most applied techniques for optimising either oral or writting skills communication; and 4) exam tha evaluates the numerical and teoretical concepts of the course (40% of the overall rating of the course). The exam consists of 10 short questions and 2 numerical exercises.
Test Rules
The evaluated activities are compulsory. Not presenting any of the four activities will result in failing the course.
Office Hours
Fridays from 10h to 13h
Bibliography
Basic
- Piñol, J.; Martínez-Vilalta, J. Ecologia con números: una introducción a la ecología con problemas y ejercicios de simulación. Barcelona: Lynx, 2006. ISBN 8496553019.
- Margalef i López, R. Ecología. 5a ed. Barcelona: Planeta, 1992. ISBN 8432045802.
- Schlesinger, W.H.; Bernhardt, E.S. Biogeochemistry: an analysis of global change. 4th ed. London: Academic Press, 2020. ISBN 9780128146088.