The aim of the course address problems related to interactions between organisms and their environment, meant in its biotic and abiotic components.
The physical environment, the biosphere and responses of organisms to environmental variability. Importance of evolutionary phenomena in ecology an the strict interconnection between ecology and evolution.
Population ecology: distribution, abundance, growth, regulation and dynamics of natural populations. Interactions between organisms: competition, herbivory, predation, parasitisms, mutualism and commensalism.
Community ecology: structure and variation of biological communities. Biogeographical issues in ecology. The species diversity.
Ecosystem ecology: production, energy flow and food webs in ecosystems. Biogeochemical cycles.