Bi9661 Selected issues in ecology

Faculty of Science
Autumn 2012
Extent and Intensity
1/0/0. 1 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Péter Szabó, Ph.D. M.A. (lecturer), prof. RNDr. Milan Chytrý, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
prof. RNDr. Milan Chytrý, Ph.D.
Department of Botany and Zoology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Supplier department: Department of Botany and Zoology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
Course objectives
Selected Issues in Ecology is a course offered by external lecturers who talk about their research. There are different lecturers in every semester. Rather than a comprehensive coverage of some subject, the purpose of this course is defining scientific problems in a focused topic, discussion on methods applied to solve these problems, and presentation of results of particular projects. The objective is to demostrate some topic which is not included in regular courses offered at Masaryk University.
Syllabus
  • V podzimním semestru roku 2012 bude tématem "Historická ekologie". Přednášejícím bude dr. Péter Szabó z Botanického ústavu AV ČR, Lidická 25/27, 602 00 Brno
  • peter.szabo@ibot.cas.cz
  • http://sites.google.com/site/peterszaboswebsite/
  • http://www.historickaekologie.cz/ – http://www.historicalecology.net/
  • In recent decades the importance of the past in understanding present ecosystems has been increasingly acknowledged. Especially in Central Europe, human influence has been present for such a long time that it is often impossible to differentiate between ‘nature’ and ‘culture’. The discipline that studies historical interactions between people and nature is called historical ecology. But how does historical ecology work beyond generalities? Why is it relevant to your research? What can you do to find out something about past of the ecosystems you study? What are the current trends in historical ecological research? Where’s the nearest archive? Isn’t all history just nice stories about the past anyway? This course will offer answers to (some) of these questions and hopes to raise many more.
  • Topics
  • 1. What is historical ecology? Why does history matter in ecology? What are the differences between historical and ecological research?
  • 2. Various types of historical and archaeological sources and how to work with them
  • 3. Historical woodland ecology: traditional management, the Vera Hypothesis, and more
  • 4. Modelling in historical ecology
  • 5. Why is historical knowledge important in nature conservation? Some examples of successful ‘applied historical ecology’.
  • 6. Myths in the history of ecosystems: from ‘cutting down the forest’ through ‘the Lost Eden in the Mediterranean’ to ’ecocide on the Easter Islands’
  • Basic reading
  • articles
  • Bürgi M. & Gimmi U. (2007) Three objectives of historical ecology: the case of litter collecting in Central European forests. Landscape Ecology 22: 77–87.
  • Jackson S.T. & Hobbs R.J. (2009) Ecological restoration in the light of ecological history. Science 325: 567–569.
  • Swetnam T.W., Craig D.A. & Betancourt J.L. (1999) Applied historical ecology: using the past to manage for the future. Ecological Applications 9: 1189–1206.
  • books
  • Crumley C.L. ed. (1994) Historical ecology: Cultural knowledge and changing landscapes. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research Press.
  • Egan D. & Howell E. ed. (2001) The historical ecology handbook: A restorationist's guide to reference ecosystems. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.
  • Rackham O. (2003) Ancient woodland: Its history, vegetation and uses in England. 2d edition. Colvend: Castlepoint Press.
  • Russell E.W.B. (1997) People and the land through time: Linking ecology and history. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • Literaturu dodává v případě potřeby zvaný přednášející podle vlastní úvahy.
  • BEGON, Michael, John L. HARPER and Colin R. TOWNSEND. Ekologie : jedinci, populace a společenstva. Translated by Bronislava Grygová - Barbara Köberleová - Zdeněk Brandl. 1. vyd. Olomouc: Vydavatelství Univerzity Palackého, 1997, xxiv, 949. ISBN 8070676957. info
Teaching methods
Lectures.
Assessment methods
Class discussion.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught each semester.
The course is taught: in blocks.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2007 - for the purpose of the accreditation, Autumn 2010 - only for the accreditation, Autumn 2002, Autumn 2003, Autumn 2004, Autumn 2005, Autumn 2006, Autumn 2007, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2011 - acreditation, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2012, recent)
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