17 Nov
21 Nov

Uppsala

Ecosystem Functioning: From Theory to Application

Post graduate course, Biology and Environmental Assessment, 3 ECTS

The course home page can be found here

***The application period for enrollment is now open***

For more information, read on, or click on the home page link above

Course content

The concept of “ecosystem functioning” has over the last two decades stimulated research focussed on what ecosystems do, as opposed to what they are composed of, and is increasingly important in policy and management because of its strong linkages with ecosystem services.  Focussing on ecosystem functioning in inland waters (lakes and streams) and soils (forest and agricultural), this course will cover basic definitions, the relationship between ecosystem functioning and ecosystem services, and several currently topical themes in ecosystem functioning research.  These include the roles of functional traits and calculation of functional diversity, underpinnings in metabolic theory, and an overview of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning research. Throughout, a range of practical methods for quantifying ecosystem functioning will be covered, as will the application of these methods in biomonitoring and environmental assessment.


Lecturers

Confirmed lecturers include the aquatic biologists Guy Woodward (Imperial College, London), André Frainer (SLU) and Brendan McKie (SLU) and the terrestrial biologists Katarina Hedlund (Lund), Matty Berg (University of Amsterdam), Janne Bengtsson (SLU) and Astrid Taylor (SLU).


Format

One week of five, full day sessions, each including lectures and discussion and other exercises

Facts

Time: 2014-11-17 - 2014-11-21
Location: Uppsala
Additional info:

Access

The course is part of the research school Focus on Soils and Waters (FoSW) at SLU, but is open to participants from other universities as well. The course requires a minimum of 5 participants, and the maximum is capped at 15.  Some sections of the course will address deeper aspects of ecological theory, and thus a strong background in ecology is desirable, though parts of the course will also be suitable for students with a more limited ecological background who are nevertheless interested in the topic of ecosystem functioning.

 

 



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