PřF:Bi8001 Pedobiology - Course Information

Bi8001 Pedobiology

Extent and Intensity

2/0/0. 2 credit(s) (plus extra credits for completion). Type of Completion: zk (examination).

Teacher(s)

doc. Dipl. Biol. Jiří Schlaghamerský, Ph.D. (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

doc. Dipl. Biol. Jiří Schlaghamerský, Ph.D.
Department of Botany and Zoology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: doc. Dipl. Biol. Jiří Schlaghamerský, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Botany and Zoology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science

Prerequisites (in Czech)

( Bi1030 Inverteb. phylog. & divers. || Bi2000 Anim. phylog. & divers. ) && Bi5080 Basics of ecology

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is offered to students of any study field.

Course objectives

At the end of this course, students should be able to: 1) describe the basic composition of soil, major soil types and principles by which these are defined, humus forms, and principles of pedogenesis; 2) list and explain the major ecological factors affecting soil organisms; 3) list and characterise major soil organism groups, explain various ways to categorize them, explain their importance (function); 4) explain the effect of litter quality on its decomposition and the function of individual organism groups in decomposition and mineralisation (nutrient cycling); 5) explain the importance and position of soils and soil organims within terrestrial ecosystems, food chains and nets, the interconnection of above- and below-ground processes; 6)charakterise the major pedobiological methods; 7)charakterise terrestrial habitats/substrates outside of soil proper, where decomposition processes and degradative succession occurs; 8)charakterise communities within the saprotrophic food chain associated with the decomposition of wood, excrements and carrion.

Syllabus

• The course includes the following units:
• what is soil: basics of pedology (pedogenesis, major soil types, humus forms);
• soil as an environment of organisms;
• decomposition of dead organic matter and the decomposition compartment of ecosystems, degradative succession;
• decomposition in the major biomes, pecularities of tropical soils and consequences for tropical ecosystems and agriculture;
• soil fertilisation and contamination, bioremediation;
• the effect of resource (nekromass) composition on decomposition processes;
• the effect of physical and chemical traits of the soil on decomposition processes;
• communities of soil organisms (edaphon): distribution in space and time, function, classification of soil fauna (size, trophy);
• the microbiological component of soils;
• major soil biological methods: traditional and modern ones;
• the utilisation of microorganims by animals for mobilising nutrients, decomposition in the ruminant pouch;
• wood decomposition, decomposing wood as the environment of saproxylic communities of individual successional stages;
• faeces decomposition and associated organisms;
• decomposition of carrion and scavangers.

Literature

• Begon, M., Harper, J. L. & Townsend, C. R. (1997): Ekologie: jedinci, populace a společenstva. Vydavatelství Univerzity Palackého, Olomouc, ISBN 80-7067-695-7.
• Swift, M. J., Heal, O. W. & Anderson, J. M. (1979): Decomposition in Terrestrial Ecosystems (Studies in Ecology, Vol. 5), Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, ISBN 0-632-00378-2.
• Smolíková, L. (1982, 1988): Pedologie. I. Státní pedagogické nakladatelství (1. i 2. vyd.), Praha.

Teaching methods

lectures

Assessment methods

The course is given as a series of lectures; credits are given based on the positive result of an oral exam.

Language of instruction

Czech

Further Comments

The course is taught annually.

• Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2014, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/sci/spring2014/Bi8001