300048 VO Ecology of the ecozones of the world (2016W)

Part 1: Terrestrial ecosystems (Dullinger)

The lecture starts with a general account on how to classify (terrestrial) biota from an ecological point of view. Following the biome-concept of H. Walter the different life zones of the earth are presented. Each biome is presented regarding climate, soils, vegetation, animal life, and land use. Lectures focus on the (zonal) natural ecosystems but consider also azonal ecosystems (e.g. mires, mountains, ecosystems on poor soils), and cultivated land ecosystems.

Part 2: Freshwater systems (Waringer-Löschenkohl):
Their role for the global water budget, history and evolution, principles of classification and systemic features of limnic ecosystems, chemical characteristics with respect to the geological underground, the features of the catchment area and the contribution of anthropogenic pollutants, importance of limnic systems with regard to landscape ecology in general, possibilities for restauration measures.

Part 3: Marine systems (Herndl)
The lectures on marine systems first highlight the structures of marine food webs from coastal seas to the open ocean, and then presents the characteristic communities from the intertidal to offshore deep water systems including hydrothermal vents. Also structures and differences of marine communities between polar to tropical regions are presented.