300672 VO The Main Habitats of the World (2023W)

This lecture provides an overview of the main ecological subsystems of the earth. The first chapters are dealing with general subjects, esp. with functional aspects of nutrient cycling and energy flow within the ecosphere and with the phenomenon of biodiversity and the patterns of species distribution on earth. Thereupon, special chapters are following:
Terrestrial habitats: classification, zone of tropical forests, substropical ecosystems with deciduous forests, grasslands and deserts, mediterranean ecosystems, warm and cool temperate zones with evergreen and deciduous forests, montane and boral forests, tundra and polar deserts.
Limnic habitats: 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.

The lecture aims to build awareness of the global climate and ecozones, terrestrially as well as in freshwater and marine environments. Raising awareness of the abiotic requirements, the biotic composition of the biosphere and its threats appears to be essential for understanding the major ecological relationships in the context of a growing human impact.