Aquatic Ecosystems (5 cr)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Objective

The student knows the basics of the anthropogenic effects to the circulation and loads of the essential elements and energy between the aquatic ecosystem and the catchment. The student is able to define and estimate the tolerance of the aquatic ecosystem. The student can the basics of the physic-chemical (i. e. abiotic) diagnosis and ecological (i. e. biotic) diagnosis of the watercourse. The student knows the basics of sampling, measuring and analyzing technics and preparing the samples in practice. The student is capable to prepare a plan for the studies and management of the watercourse and is able to prepare a report of scientific structure including the ability to do the conclusions of these physic-chemical, hydrological, biological and ecological data, i. e. the diagnosis of the ecosystem and the preliminary conclusions of the restoration technics.

Content

The defining the budgets and the mass balances of the essential nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), the water quality and the mass balance models of the aquatic ecosystems, the physic-chemical, biological and ecological structure of the water ecosystem, the sampling technics of the physic-chemical and biological components, the methods of the monitoring and studying the water ecosystems and their catchments (i. e. water quality, hydrology, benthic fauna, sediments, soil quality, aquatic macrophytes, fish population, phytoplankton, zooplankton); preparing the scientific report and presentation based on this diagnosis of the water ecosystem and its catchment.