Ecology and diversity of terrestrial plants - Einzelansicht

Contents: This module combines a practical field course with lectures and seminars to deepen both theoretical and practical knowledge in terrestrial plant ecology.

Practical course for all students: Integration in ongoing research projects of the Biodiversity Research/ Systematic Botany group, with data collection in field experiments or sites in/ nearby Potsdam such as the Global Change Experimental Facility (with a focus on grasslands).

Schedule: Lectures and seminars will be roughly alternating between weeks, while the practical course will in most cases be a one-week block course. However, there are also several options of practical coursework distributed over the first half of the summer semester.

Access to the Moodle course: The access information for self-registration to the Moodle course will be provided to registered students via email prior to the first course day.

Additional information on the practical course: In your practical course, small groups of participants (ca. 4-6) will address actual research questions. Typical topics are from trait-based ecology, biodiversity research, and global change ecology. All students will be integrated in ongoing scientific research projects of the Biodiversity Research/ Systematic Botany group, and collect ecological data in field experiments or sites in/ nearby Potsdam. Examples are the Global Change Experimental Facility close to Halle (Saale), and the Biodiversity Exploratory in Schorfheide-Chorin. The block course provides a deep insight into practical work in modern plant ecology. Prior to it, a mix of lectures and seminars will help you to familiarize with relevant concepts and methods in modern ecology. After the practical course, lectures and seminars will focus on data analysis and interpretation.

Basic botanical knowledge (especially in plant species characteristics and determination), and knowledge in statistics (e.g. from the Compulsory Module BIO-O-KM2) is recommended for this module.

Course Content: Students…

• Know theories and methods in biodiversity research and global change ecology
• Have knowledge of plant phenology and its shift under climate change
• Have detailed knowledge about plant functional traits and plant strategies
• Have an in-depth knowledge of how plant populations and communities can be affected by climate change and/or land management, and what this means for essential ecosystem functions and services delivered by vegetation
• Know how plants can be used as indicators for environmental conditions