6 EC
Semester 1, period 2
5132WOEC6Y
Different parts of the world have different ecosystems, based on the global climate zones. In the course World Ecosystems we will take you through the most important ecosystems, their basic function and structure, and their role with respect to food supply.
The course consists of several parts: a series of lectures and workshops, tested in a written exam, and a mini-project about a particular country, with oral and written (poster) presentations of its characteristic ecosystems and their role in traditional and modern food supply.
The course will provide a systematic overview of the characteristic biomes on earth, such as tropical forests and savannas, deserts, Mediterranean and steppe ecosystems, temperate and boreal forests, tundra and wetlands. The natural function and structure of ecosystems are treated, with interactions between climate, geology, geomorphological processes, soil formation, adaptation of plants and animals and human impact in each climatic zone. Questions are discussed in both lectures and workshops, about specific adaptations in plant morphology and physiology, landscape formation, soil development and which role the ecosystems play in terms of food supply, how this is affected by climate and land use, and what happens to natural ecosystems if we see them mainly as source of our food production. It is possible that the traditional way of working the land reflects a deep knowledge of what demands can be put upon our environment, or what can be taken from Earth’s resources without creating a boomerang effect and what the natural boundaries of the system are.
At the end of the course, the student is able to:
1. Series of lectures
The course consists of two components. It starts with a series of lectures of two hours on tropical rainforest, savannas, deserts, mediterranean ecosystems, steppe grasslands, deciduous forests, coniferous forests, tundra and northern peatlands, wetlands and coastal ecosystems. In each lecture, you will learn how traditional agricultural methods and moders aspects of food production are linked to how geology and climate affect the landscape, development of soils, and adaptation of plants and animals to extreme climatic conditions. The lectures are tested in the written examination at the end of the course, which is taken individually.
Tropical rainforest: high precipitation and temperatures lead to intense weathering and leaching in the soil, and development of nutrient-poor ecosystems. Agriculture is limited by nutrient-poor soils, but as long as the forests are protected, soil erosion is low, and high biodiversity can contribute to traditional food supply.
Tropical savannas: the seasonal climate, high rates of erosion and particular soil conditions lead to shallow soils which suffer from flooding or severe drought stress. Soils can be nutrient-poor or rich, depending on geology. Geology and climate may even trigger the trek of the Wildebeest in the Serengeti.
Deserts: in arid climates, soil weathering is restricted, and accumulation of salt or secondary lime leads to infertile soils and low human habitation. Plants have particular adaptations to drought stress, such as CAM-photosynthesis. Also, they may form fertile islands of particular size and distance to each other, depending on annual precipitation.
Mediterranean ecosystems: have two growing seasons instead of one, which stimulates an evegreen habitus. Drought stress is an important factor, and may e.g., explain why forest is mainly found on north slopes and in valley bottoms, and shrubland on drier positions. However, nutrient stress, related to geology, can reshape these patterns.
Steppe grasslands: occur in more continental areas, with hot summers, cold winters and a very short growing season. Soils are deep, have high pH and large amounts of organic matter, and traditionally belong to the most fertile in the world (Chernozem). Short growing seasons and fertile soils led to the evolution of many cereals, which we still use today.
Deciduous forests: occur in mild climates with cool, moist summers and winters. Leaching of base cations and clay is the dominant soil process, which can be affected by trees through litter quality and edability to earthworms. Tree diversity in Europe is lower than in America, because exctinction during ice ages was enhanced by the Alps, which run E-W instead of N-S.
Coniferous forests: are protected against freezing in the cold winters, a.o., due to small vessels with low water content. Low degradable litter limits decomposition, which is already low due to the climate, and increases leaching of base cations and formation of nutrient-poor podzols. Traditional food supply is based on forest products rather than on agriculture.
Tundra and northern peatlands: agriculture is impossible due to permaforst and permanently wet soils, but they are important for carbon storage. Sphagnum peatmosses have adapted very well, and create their own environment, which is often harmfull to other organisms. However, large mammals, musquitos, dragonflies and birds do very well.
2. Working groups
The second part of the course consists of four workshops of two hours each, in support of the lectures. The workshops are obligatory. In the workshops, specific topics on plants, landscapes, soils and food production will be addressed. The content of the workshops is tested in the written examination at the end of the course, which is taken individually.
Vegetation: this workshop starts with some discussion about the role of vegetation in ecosystems, followed by questions about how a plant looks like, and about plant adaptations to climate in morphology and physiology. The final assignment of this workshop is: design your own plant.
Landscape: this workshop starts with an introduction on basic landscape forming processes and geodiversity, followed by questions about landscapes in particular biomes. The final assignment of this workshop is: design your own landscape.
Soil diversity: this workshop starts with a discussion and exercise on soil forming processes in different biomes, followed by an exercise to link FAO soil types to particular countries. The final assignment of this workshop is: design your own soil.
Food production: this workshop starts with a discussion on limiting factors in food production, followed by exercises to link particular food products or environmental impacts of agriculture to biomes. The final assignment of this workshop is: design your own sustainable agricultural system.
3. Mini-project
The third part of the course consists of a Mini-project about the physico-geographical setting, ecosystem functioning and implications for food supply of a particular country. The Mini-project will be carried out in teams of two students, and assessed by means of an oral presentation of 15 minutes given with powerpoint (including discussion), and an abstract of 500 words, provided in advance of the presentation itself. An outline for the presentation and abstract of the Mini-project is given below:
- what are characteristic ecosystems in this particular country
- how does it affect the past and present land use
- how has this country been formed during and by geological history
- how did the landscape become as it is
- why do we find the particular soil types here
- what does that mean for (traditional) agriculture
- what are characteristic adaptations to the particular (climatic) conditons
- how did traditional agriculture deal with constraints of climate, soil and landscape
- what is the situation now and can this be improved
- what does all this mean for the present and future of the country
Activity | Hours | |
Hoorcollege | 12 | |
Presentatie | 4 | |
Tentamen | 3 | |
Werkcollege | 14 | |
Self study | 135 | |
Total | 168 | (6 EC x 28 uur) |
Programme's requirements concerning attendance (OER-B):
| Item and weight | Details |
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Final grade | |
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0.5 (50%) Written exam | |
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0.15 (15%) Attitude working groups | |
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0.2 (20%) Presentation mini-project | |
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0.15 (15%) Abstract mini-project |
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The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl
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The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.
basic knowledge about ecosystems and soil formation
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