Cultural competences (knowledge of): - Theoretical and practical bases of animal and plant community ecology - Macroecology - Morphological-functional traits measured on species and functional groups - Interactions among species (competition, facilitation, trophic) - Coexistence, co-occurrence among species and community assemblage - Ecological niche and niche overlap among species - Community diversity (taxonomic, functional, phylogenetic) -
Methodological competences (know how to perform): - Know how to define how to study animal and plant communities and analyze their structure - Know how to quantitatively analyze the relationships between organisms belonging to the same community - Know how to perform null models to conduct community simulation analyses - Know how to choose models for analysis and sampling techniques best suited to the groups of organisms analyzed - Know how to apply and understand diversity metrics - Know how to identify functional groups or guilds.
Methodological competences (know how to perform): - Know how to define how to study animal and plant communities and analyze their structure - Know how to quantitatively analyze the relationships between organisms belonging to the same community - Know how to perform null models to conduct community simulation analyses - Know how to choose models for analysis and sampling techniques best suited to the groups of organisms analyzed - Know how to apply and understand diversity metrics - Know how to identify functional groups or guilds.
teacher profile teaching materials
- The student will learn the characteristics of animal and plant communities, descriptors to define them, and ways to study them to analyze their structure.
The techniques to quantitatively analyze the relationships between organisms belonging to the same community will be illustrated.
Some null models will be proposed to conduct community simulation analysis, the criteria for choosing the most suitable model and sampling techniques for the groups of organisms analyzed.
- The study of communities and macroecology will be organized in different modules.
(i) Co-occurrence: the co-occurrence module allows for the testing of non-random patterns of species co-occurrence in a presence-absence matrix;
(ii) Macroecology: the study of the partitioning among species of physical space and ecological resources. Macroecological studies consist of the analysis of species-level traits, such as body size, geographic area, and mean abundance, measured at large spatial scales;
(iii) Niche overlap: the study of niche overlap has a long history in community ecology.
Simple theories of similarity limitation and ecological character shift predict that intraspecific and interspecific interactions result in reduced niche overlap of interacting organisms and populations.
Testing this idea with empirical data leads to three questions:
1) what aspects of the niche should be measured?
2) how can niche overlap between species pairs be quantified?
(3) what niche overlap would be expected in the absence of interaction?
(iv) Body size overlap: this module allows us to test unusual patterns in the body sizes of co-occurring species and compare these patterns to those that might be expected in a random assemblage unstructured by interspecific interactions;
(v) Community diversity: species diversity is a central object of study in both basic and applied community ecology.
Two main issues in the study of species diversity will be addressed. The first is how we can quantify the diversity of an assemblage and the second is how we can statistically compare the diversity of two different assemblages;
(vi) Functional groups or guilds: groups of species within a community that share common resources are considered guilds. This module will allow the incorporation of guild structure into community analyses.
- Through laboratory and field simulations, the student will learn the dynamics that determine the organization and structure of selected communities.
- Interactive computer programs for null model analysis in community ecology will be used to test community models with experimental and non-experimental data.
Monte Carlo randomization will be illustrated as an analytical method for comparing real communities with "pseudo-communities" created using various algorithms.
The broad applicability of null models in applied and basic ecology will be illustrated.
Morin, P. J. (2009). Community ecology. John Wiley & Sons.
Programme
The course aims to provide the theoretical and practical foundations of animal and plant community ecology and macroecology and to present students with state-of-the-art concepts and methods on the use in ecology of morphological-functional traits measured on species (functional traits), across different trophic levels. Particular emphasis is placed on the use of traits as a generalization tool to understand ecological processes, such as response to environmental gradients (ecological niche), species interactions and community assembly, but also effects on ecosystem functioning and potential as bioindicators of ecosystem services.- The student will learn the characteristics of animal and plant communities, descriptors to define them, and ways to study them to analyze their structure.
The techniques to quantitatively analyze the relationships between organisms belonging to the same community will be illustrated.
Some null models will be proposed to conduct community simulation analysis, the criteria for choosing the most suitable model and sampling techniques for the groups of organisms analyzed.
- The study of communities and macroecology will be organized in different modules.
(i) Co-occurrence: the co-occurrence module allows for the testing of non-random patterns of species co-occurrence in a presence-absence matrix;
(ii) Macroecology: the study of the partitioning among species of physical space and ecological resources. Macroecological studies consist of the analysis of species-level traits, such as body size, geographic area, and mean abundance, measured at large spatial scales;
(iii) Niche overlap: the study of niche overlap has a long history in community ecology.
Simple theories of similarity limitation and ecological character shift predict that intraspecific and interspecific interactions result in reduced niche overlap of interacting organisms and populations.
Testing this idea with empirical data leads to three questions:
1) what aspects of the niche should be measured?
2) how can niche overlap between species pairs be quantified?
(3) what niche overlap would be expected in the absence of interaction?
(iv) Body size overlap: this module allows us to test unusual patterns in the body sizes of co-occurring species and compare these patterns to those that might be expected in a random assemblage unstructured by interspecific interactions;
(v) Community diversity: species diversity is a central object of study in both basic and applied community ecology.
Two main issues in the study of species diversity will be addressed. The first is how we can quantify the diversity of an assemblage and the second is how we can statistically compare the diversity of two different assemblages;
(vi) Functional groups or guilds: groups of species within a community that share common resources are considered guilds. This module will allow the incorporation of guild structure into community analyses.
- Through laboratory and field simulations, the student will learn the dynamics that determine the organization and structure of selected communities.
- Interactive computer programs for null model analysis in community ecology will be used to test community models with experimental and non-experimental data.
Monte Carlo randomization will be illustrated as an analytical method for comparing real communities with "pseudo-communities" created using various algorithms.
The broad applicability of null models in applied and basic ecology will be illustrated.
Core Documentation
Mittelbach, G. G., & McGill, B. J. (2019). Community ecology. Oxford University Press.Morin, P. J. (2009). Community ecology. John Wiley & Sons.
Type of delivery of the course
This is a lecture-based course with field activitiesType of evaluation
The evaluation consists of a written and an oral exam teacher profile teaching materials
- The student will learn the characteristics of animal and plant communities and the methods to analyze their structure. Techniques to quantitatively analyze the relationships between organisms belonging to the same community will be illustrated. Some null models will be proposed to conduct community simulation analyzes, the criteria for choosing the model and the sampling techniques most suitable for the groups analyzed.
- The study of communities and macroecology will be organized in different modules.
(i) Co-occurrence: the co-occurrence module allows to test non-random patterns of species co-occurrence in a presence-absence matrix;
(ii) Macroecology: the study of the division between species of physical space and ecological resources. Macroecological studies consist in the analysis of traits at the species level, such as body size, geographical area and average abundance, measured at large spatial scales;
(iii) Niche overlap: The study of niche overlap has a long history in community ecology. Simple theories of similarity limitation and ecological trait displacement predict that interspecific competition leads to a reduction in the niche overlap of competing species. Testing this idea with empirical data leads to three questions:
1) what aspects of the niche should be measured?
2) how can the niche overlap between pairs of species be quantified?
3) what niche overlap would you expect in the absence of competition?
(iv) Overlap of body dimensions: this module allows to test unusual patterns in the body dimensions of coexisting species and to compare these patterns with those that might be expected in a random assemblage not structured by interspecific interactions;
(v) Community diversity: Species diversity is a central subject of study in both basic and applied community ecology. Two main issues will be addressed in the study of species diversity. The first is how we can quantify the diversity of an assembly and the second is how we can statistically compare the diversity of two different assemblies;
(vi) Functional Groups or Guilds: Groups of species within a community that share common resources are considered guilds. This module will allow you to incorporate the guild structure into community analyzes.
- Through simulations in the laboratory and in the field, the student will learn the dynamics that determine the organization and structure of some selected communities.
- Interactive computer programs for the analysis of null models in community ecology will be used to test community models with experimental and non-experimental data.
Monte Carlo randomizations will be illustrated as an analytical method to compare real communities with "pseudo-communities" created using different algorithms.
The broad applicability of null models in ecology will be illustrated
Morin, P. J. (2009). Community ecology. John Wiley & Sons.
Programme
The course aims to provide the theoretical and practical foundations of community ecology and macroecology.- The student will learn the characteristics of animal and plant communities and the methods to analyze their structure. Techniques to quantitatively analyze the relationships between organisms belonging to the same community will be illustrated. Some null models will be proposed to conduct community simulation analyzes, the criteria for choosing the model and the sampling techniques most suitable for the groups analyzed.
- The study of communities and macroecology will be organized in different modules.
(i) Co-occurrence: the co-occurrence module allows to test non-random patterns of species co-occurrence in a presence-absence matrix;
(ii) Macroecology: the study of the division between species of physical space and ecological resources. Macroecological studies consist in the analysis of traits at the species level, such as body size, geographical area and average abundance, measured at large spatial scales;
(iii) Niche overlap: The study of niche overlap has a long history in community ecology. Simple theories of similarity limitation and ecological trait displacement predict that interspecific competition leads to a reduction in the niche overlap of competing species. Testing this idea with empirical data leads to three questions:
1) what aspects of the niche should be measured?
2) how can the niche overlap between pairs of species be quantified?
3) what niche overlap would you expect in the absence of competition?
(iv) Overlap of body dimensions: this module allows to test unusual patterns in the body dimensions of coexisting species and to compare these patterns with those that might be expected in a random assemblage not structured by interspecific interactions;
(v) Community diversity: Species diversity is a central subject of study in both basic and applied community ecology. Two main issues will be addressed in the study of species diversity. The first is how we can quantify the diversity of an assembly and the second is how we can statistically compare the diversity of two different assemblies;
(vi) Functional Groups or Guilds: Groups of species within a community that share common resources are considered guilds. This module will allow you to incorporate the guild structure into community analyzes.
- Through simulations in the laboratory and in the field, the student will learn the dynamics that determine the organization and structure of some selected communities.
- Interactive computer programs for the analysis of null models in community ecology will be used to test community models with experimental and non-experimental data.
Monte Carlo randomizations will be illustrated as an analytical method to compare real communities with "pseudo-communities" created using different algorithms.
The broad applicability of null models in ecology will be illustrated
Core Documentation
Mittelbach, G. G., & McGill, B. J. (2019). Community ecology. Oxford University Press.Morin, P. J. (2009). Community ecology. John Wiley & Sons.
Reference Bibliography
Mittelbach, G. G., & McGill, B. J. (2019). Community ecology. Oxford University Press. Morin, P. J. (2009). Community ecology. John Wiley & Sons.Type of delivery of the course
lectures as well as in class practicals and field tripsAttendance
recommendedType of evaluation
an oral and a written exam