Stress ecology

Code:

TCAEM07

Acronym:

ES

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Biology

Instance: 2024/2025 - 2S (of 17-02-2025 to 18-07-2025)

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Population Studies
Course/CS Responsible:	Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MTCAEM	10	Oficial Plan 2020	1	-	6	42	162

Teaching language

English
Obs.: predominantemente inglês, podendo ser ainda usado o português

Objectives

1) To get fundamental and applied concepts in the scope of Stress Ecology, and to get training in methods and techniques commonly used in stress ecology and ecotoxicology to assess the effects at population, community and ecosystem levels, as well as in new approaches necessary to address and overcome major environmental problems (e.g. climate changes, bioinvasions, pollution,  biodiversity lost).

 

2) To develop skills to get continuous upgrade of knowledge and training and to apply them in problem solving in the scope of Stress Ecology.

 

3) To develop the capability of working in a team, in an integrated and multidisciplinary way in the scope of Stress Ecology.

 

4) To develop autonomy and skills to promote consensual choices, to analyse and discuss results, make decisions and communicate results, risks and decisions to different types of audience in distinct contexts in the scope of Stress Ecology.

Learning outcomes and competences

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

1) To have fundamental and applied concepts in the scope of Stress Ecology, and to have training in methods and techniques commonly used in stress ecology and ecotoxicology to assess the effects at population, community and ecosystem levels, as well as in new approaches necessary to address and overcome major environmental problems (e.g. climate changes, bioinvasions, pollution,  biodiversity lost).

 

2) To have the stimulus and skills to get continuous upgrade of their knowledge and training and to apply them in problem solving in the scope of Stress Ecology.

 

3) To have the capability of working in a team, in an integrated and multidisciplinary way in the scope of Stress Ecology.

 

4) To have developed autonomy and skills to promote consensual choices, to analyse and discuss results, make decisions and communicate results, risks and decisions to different types of audience in distinct contexts in the scope of Stress Ecology.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Basic knowledge of Ecology and Ecotoxicology.

Program

1. Main ecological paradigms and challenges.


2. Development, biodiversity and conservation, sustainability.


3. Main regulation and conventions.


4. Environmental stressors. Global pollutants and environmental contaminants of special concern (e.g. microplastics, nanomaterials).


5. Methods and techniques commonly used in Ecology and ecotoxicology to assess the effects of stressors on populations, communities and ecosystems.


6. Effects of environmental stressors (physical, chemical, biological) on interspecific relationships; adaptations, resistance and differences among species.


7. Effects of individual environmental stressors on communities and ecosystems (terrestrial, freshwater, marine).


8. Combined effects of climate changes, pollution and bioinvasions in ecosystems of different regions (temperate, cold, tropical, extreme environments).


9. Implications to biodiversity conservation, environmental and human health, and ecosystem services.

Mandatory literature

Christian E. W. Steinberg; Stress ecology. ISBN: 978-94-007-2071-8
Begon M; Townsend CR; Harper JL (EDs); Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems. Blackwell Publishing. , Blackwell Publishing, 2009

Complementary Bibliography

Charles Sheppard; World seas. ISBN: 978-0-12-805052-1
Cristiano V. M. Araújo; Ecotoxicology in latin america. ISBN: 978-1-53613-872-6

Comments from the literature

- several articles, platforms, and websites.

Teaching methods and learning activities

1) Interactive lectures and case studies discussions stimulating the active participation of the students.

2) Laboratory  practical sessions to get knowledge and training on ecological assessments.

2) Practical sessions (individual and team work) with simulations (e.g. computational, “game” scenarios) and real case-studies, including decision-making and communication of results and decisions to different types of audience.

3) Autonomous team work (seminar component) on a topic in the scope of the course (free choice by the students), presentation and discussion of the work done with colleagues and teachers at the end of the semester.

FINAL MARK = A + B + C

A) Written exam (minimum of 5,0/10 points): 50%

B) Continuous evaluation I, work during th classes complemented with autonomous work (minimum of 1,0/2,0 points): 10%

C) Seminar component, continous evaluation II (minimum of 4,0/8,0 points): 40%

Software

Populus, SPSS, Word, Excel, Power Point, browser

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	10,00
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	20,00
Exame	50,00
Trabalho escrito	20,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	6,00
Estudo autónomo	74,00
Frequência das aulas	42,00
Trabalho escrito	40,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

The students should attend lectures and practical sessions, to do and submit in time the continuous evaluation items, to do a writen work, present and discuss it.

Calculation formula of final grade

The final mark will be the sum of the marks got in the following components:

1. Final exam: 50% (minimum: 5.0/10.0 points)

2: seminar with platform presentation, continuous evaluation II: 40% (minimum: 4.0/8.0 points)

2. Continuous evaluation I: 10% (minimum: 1.0/2.0 points)
   
   Final: 1 + 2 + 3

Examinations or Special Assignments

Team work, oral communication and discussion

other items of continuous evaluation

Classification improvement

Exam.

Observations

If the teaching/learning is online until de end of the course, the evaluation will be done through the continuous evaluation and the seminar component.
The improvement of the mark obtained in the first period of evaluation can be made through the improvement of seminar work.