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
Students will learn about the characteristics of animal and plant communities, the descriptors used to characterize them, and the methods employed to analyze their structure. Techniques for quantitatively analyzing the relationships among organisms belonging to the same community will be presented. The course will introduce null models for conducting community simulation analyses, as well as criteria for selecting the most appropriate models and sampling techniques for the groups under investigation.
The study of community ecology and macroecology will cover several major topics:
(i) Species co-occurrence: Non-random patterns of species co-occurrence will be tested using presence–absence matrices.
(ii) Macroecology: The study of how species partition physical space and ecological resources. Macroecological studies involve the analysis of species-level traits, such as body size, geographic range size, and mean abundance, measured across large spatial scales.
(iii) Niche overlap: The study of niche overlap has a long history in community ecology. Basic theories of limiting similarity and ecological character displacement predict that interspecific competition leads to reduced niche overlap among competing species. Testing this hypothesis using empirical data raises three main questions:
1. Which aspects of the niche should be measured?
2. How can niche overlap between pairs of species be quantified?
3. What degree of niche overlap would be expected in the absence of competition?
(iv) Functional trait overlap: Patterns in the functional traits of coexisting species will be tested and compared with those expected under random assemblages that are not structured by interspecific interactions.
(v) Community diversity: Species diversity is a central topic in both fundamental and applied community ecology. Two main questions will be addressed: how to quantify the diversity of a species assemblage and how to statistically compare the diversity of two different assemblages.
(vi) Functional traits, functional groups, and guilds: Groups of species within a community that share common resources are referred to as guilds.
Through field excursions, laboratory activities, dedicated data analysis sessions using the statistical software R, and classroom simulations, students will gain an understanding of the ecological processes and dynamics that determine the organization and structure of selected biological communities.
The statistical software R will be used to apply null models in community ecology and to test community patterns using both experimental and observational data.
Monte Carlo randomization techniques will be introduced as an analytical method for comparing real communities with pseudo-communities generated using different randomization algorithms.
The broad applicability of null models in ecology will also be discussed.
Morin, P. J. (2009). Community ecology. John Wiley & Sons.
De Bello, F., Carmona, C. P., Dias, A. T., Götzenberger, L., Moretti, M., & Berg, M. P. (2021). Handbook of trait-based ecology: from theory to R tools. Cambridge University Press.
Programme
The course aims to provide a theoretical and practical foundation in community ecology and macroecology.Students will learn about the characteristics of animal and plant communities, the descriptors used to characterize them, and the methods employed to analyze their structure. Techniques for quantitatively analyzing the relationships among organisms belonging to the same community will be presented. The course will introduce null models for conducting community simulation analyses, as well as criteria for selecting the most appropriate models and sampling techniques for the groups under investigation.
The study of community ecology and macroecology will cover several major topics:
(i) Species co-occurrence: Non-random patterns of species co-occurrence will be tested using presence–absence matrices.
(ii) Macroecology: The study of how species partition physical space and ecological resources. Macroecological studies involve the analysis of species-level traits, such as body size, geographic range size, and mean abundance, measured across large spatial scales.
(iii) Niche overlap: The study of niche overlap has a long history in community ecology. Basic theories of limiting similarity and ecological character displacement predict that interspecific competition leads to reduced niche overlap among competing species. Testing this hypothesis using empirical data raises three main questions:
1. Which aspects of the niche should be measured?
2. How can niche overlap between pairs of species be quantified?
3. What degree of niche overlap would be expected in the absence of competition?
(iv) Functional trait overlap: Patterns in the functional traits of coexisting species will be tested and compared with those expected under random assemblages that are not structured by interspecific interactions.
(v) Community diversity: Species diversity is a central topic in both fundamental and applied community ecology. Two main questions will be addressed: how to quantify the diversity of a species assemblage and how to statistically compare the diversity of two different assemblages.
(vi) Functional traits, functional groups, and guilds: Groups of species within a community that share common resources are referred to as guilds.
Through field excursions, laboratory activities, dedicated data analysis sessions using the statistical software R, and classroom simulations, students will gain an understanding of the ecological processes and dynamics that determine the organization and structure of selected biological communities.
The statistical software R will be used to apply null models in community ecology and to test community patterns using both experimental and observational data.
Monte Carlo randomization techniques will be introduced as an analytical method for comparing real communities with pseudo-communities generated using different randomization algorithms.
The broad applicability of null models in ecology will also be discussed.
Prerequisiti
There are no mandatory prerequisites. However, it is useful to have already taken the course in “Statistical analysis of ecological data” or having some basic knowledge of the R softwareCore Documentation
Mittelbach, G. G., & McGill, B. J. (2019). Community ecology. Oxford University Press.Morin, P. J. (2009). Community ecology. John Wiley & Sons.
De Bello, F., Carmona, C. P., Dias, A. T., Götzenberger, L., Moretti, M., & Berg, M. P. (2021). Handbook of trait-based ecology: from theory to R tools. Cambridge University Press.
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
Regular attendance is strongly recommendedType of evaluation
an oral and a written exam