PhD in Biological Sciences and Applied Biotechnologies

Biomonitoring and Biodiversity Conservation (Summer School at Alpstream Centre, Ostana)

Biomonitoring and Biodiversity Conservation (Summer School at Alpstream Centre, Ostana)

Academic year 2024/2025

Sommario del corso

• Course objectives
• Results of learning outcomes
• Program
• Course delivery
• Suggested readings and bibliography
• Notes
• Further information
• Teaching tools
• Course card

Course objectives

The "Biomonitoring and Biodiversity Conservation" course aims at providing advanced notions on field sampling methods to assess the integrity of Alpine environments and main threats at local and global scales. In the present edition, students will participate in several field activities concerning plants,  invertebrates and birds.

Results of learning outcomes

Students will learn concepts and applications of biomonitoring techniques applied to  Alpine ecosystems and possible strategies for habitat integrity and biodiversity conservation.

The course is designed as a summer school in the heart of the Alps and is aimed at increasing important soft skills of PhD students such as  Teamwork, Communication, Problem-solving, and Critical thinking

Program

The course is organized into two days (27th and 28th June 2024)   in Ostana, at the Alpstream Research Center.

 I scheduled a Webex meeting to give the students all the practical details. The meeting will take place on Wednesday 10 April at 16:00 in my Webex room:
 https://unito.webex.com/meet/francesca.bona

Registration of the meeting

https://unito.webex.com/unito/ldr.php?RCID=909c0a5ba697f69fb47d2ef1fed01fec

Program  

Day 1 27th June Prof Bonelli - Prof Chamberlain- Dr. Alba

Field Methods in Animal Ecology -  Birds and Butterflies

(will be updated by the teachers)

Day 2 28th June Prof Siniscalco - Prof Oddi

Field Methods in Plant Ecology

(will be updated by the teachers)

 (qui di seguito il programma dello scorso anno, come esempio)

• introduction to field methods in stream ecology (Alpstream lab)

• Field activities for stream habitat characterisation (Po river)

• Sampling and first analysis of aquatic organisms: benthic algae, chlorophyll, aquatic insects and fish (Po river- Alpstream lab)

• How to implement experiments in field mesocosms

• Strategies for conservation: the no-kill reserve in the Po river- Parco del Monviso (Po river)

• Discussion on data collected on biodiversity and ecological processes (Alpstream lab)

Day 2  28 June  9-13 

Introduction to Field Entomology (Prof Maák István -University of Szeged Hungary)

Introduction: field methods of entomological ecology – integrating statistics in planning a field study

Field sampling, mark-recapture of butterflies, sweep netting, and assessing ant activity and behavior

Methods of data processing

Classroom discussion of the results

 Day 2  h 14-18

Introduction to Aquatic fungi (Prof G.C. Varese)

• Introduction: The importance of aquatic fungi (classroom)

• Sampling of aquatic fungi (classroom/field)

• Practicum on fungal isolation and microscopic observation (Alpstream lab)

• Class discussion

Day 3  29 June  8-12 

Introduction to Alpine Ornithology (Prof Enrico Caprio)

• Introduction: The importance of accurate biodiversity monitoring

• Theory of detectability and distance sampling · Alpine ornithology in the field – natural history and identification

• Measuring habitat, use of GPS · Point count surveys

• Class discussion

Course delivery

The course is organised in two days in Valle Po (Parco del Monviso) at Alpstream  Centre in Ostana (Cuneo) at the altitude range of 1200 – 1800 m asl. The PhD school will arrange the accommodation for students and teachers

.

Notes

(to be updated)

To participate you should:

1) enroll through campusnet (see below "registering for the course"), deadline May 10

AND

2) fill the excel spreadsheet on https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lRg5pMbvLcIzRHLnCGTAYKGU4_By3HNN/edit#gid=1514613342. Deadline May 20

 more details on the pdf in the "teaching materials"

Further information

• Teaching material
• Exams and finals
• Class schedule
• Go to Moodle
• Register for the course
• Enrolled students
• Invia email agli studenti registrati
• Export table