Universidad de Jaén

Thematic block I. Conceptual introduction

Thematic Unit 1

Ecology: epistemology and study sobjects. Organization levels. Hyerarchical theory. General theory of systems.

Thematic Unit 2

Basic models that confer sustainability to ecosystems. External factors that control state variables. Negative and positive feedbacks at different spatial and temporal scales.

Thematic Block II. Ecosystem properties-1. Structure and patterns

Thematic Unit 3

Processes that promote changes in the number of individuals. Populations. Definition and characterization. Lif e tables and diagrams.

Thematic Unit 4

Biodiversity. Diversity indices. Information theory. Fitosociology approach. Alfa diversity and niche concept.

Thematic Unit 5

Elements and patterns at the landscape level. Spatial distribution of populations; metapopulations. Beta- diversity. Conectivity at the landscape level.

Thematic Unit 6

The role of climate on structuring communities and landscape units at the regional and global scales. Biogeographical distribution of species. Biomes, natural and anthropogenic ecoregions. Gamma diversity.

Thematic Block III. Ecosystem properties-2. Processes and functionality

Thematic Unit 7

Dynamics of populations. Growth models. Continuous vs discrete reproduction strategies, intra-specific competition and the role of age on structuring populations. Deterministic vs probabilistic growth models.

Thematic Units 8 and 9

Interactions inside mixed populations and communities. Inter-especific competition. Predator-prey, herbivory and parasite models. Mutualistic models.

Thematic Unit 10

The ecosystem as the organization level. Matter cycles and energy fluxes. Primary energy, thermal radiation and atmosphere and hydrosphere dynamics. Primary and secondary production and biomass. Units. Trophic relationships.

Thematic Unit 11

Matter fluxes and biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Thematic Unit 12

Processes at the regional and global scales. Changes in the number of species, biological invasions and extinctions. Global change and consequences.

Practical contents:

1. Field activity. Sampling strategies. Number of individuals and species along an altitudinal gradient. Analysis of data in the computer room.
2. Minimal sampling area (qualitative and quantitative). Species richness.
3. Spatial distribution of species.
4. Characterization of ecological communities. Species-abundance curves. Alfa diversity and dominance indexes.
5. Gradiental analysis. Beta diversity and similarity/dissimilarity indexes.
6. Multivariate statistical techniques. Ordination and classification of ecological communities.

Theoretical sessions (3 ECTS, 50%).

These sessions will include audio-visual materials, bibliographic references and internet web pages. Competences CE-33 and CE-2.

Seminars in small groups (1.5 ECTS).

These will include (i) data processing techniques and study cases discussions (teacher and students), (ii) reading and critical discussions of scientific texts, and (iii) solving questions and problems. It is important that the students have autonomous work reading texts and solving problems. Competences CE-2 and CE-4

Personalized tutorials will also be performed under the supervision of the teacher, after the solution of the questions by the students during their autonomous work. The students will prepare a small presentation (5-10 minutes) of their autonomous work in order to demonstrate their comprehension of the subjects. Competences CE-33 and CE-2

Practical sessions in small groups (1.5 ECTS, 25%).

This will include the following activities: (i) a field work to design a sampling strategy and to collect samples and/or data that will be processed afterwards, and (ii) computer lab sessions to process the information. The autonomous work of the students will include (i) repeating techniques and methods in their personal computers, and (ii) performing a report and a presentation analysing the data collected during the practical sessions. Competences CE-4, CE-39 and CE-14

Exams :

The students will perform both a theoretical and a practicals exam for the final evaluation. The solved version of the exam will be uploaded to the virtual platform of the subject. After the evaluation, a seminar will be performed where the evaluation criteria will be presented and the possible doubts will be solved.

Students with special educational needs should contact the Student Attention Service (Servicio de Atención y Ayudas al Estudiante) in order to receive the appropriate academic support

Students with special educational needs should contact the Student Attention Service (Servicio de Atención y Ayudas al Estudiante) in order to receive the appropriate academic support

Attendance and attention (weight 5% of final score).

Attendance to and attention paid during Academically Guided Activities (Seminaras), Practical sessions in the computer lab and the field visit will be registered. Asistance to these activituies is compulsory (except for justifiable reasons). More than two unexcused absences will be considered as a failure.

Theorethical contents (weight: 60 % of the final score).

The evaluation of the theoretical part will be carried out through a written test with: (i) Multi-answer questions, (ii) short questions on concepts, and (iii) reasoning questions in which the students will interpret and analyze information, show their ability to synthetize and to relate and integrate concepts. This test will evaluate the competences CT-1, CB3, CB4, CB5, CE-3, CE-33 and CE-2.

Seminars and Practical Sessions (weight: 35 % of the final score).

Activities carried out in Seminars and practical sessions will allow evaluating the acquisition of competences CE-33, CE-2, CE-3, CE-14, CE-4 and CE-39. The final score will take into account the acquired knowledge during the seminars and the practical sessions. For the case of Seminars (10% of the final score), the structure, contents, quality of the information, and quality of the tasks performed by students (critical reviews of scientific texts, solving exercises, oral presentations) will be evaluated. For the case of Practical sessions at the computer room (25% of the final score), the same criteria will be considered, although applied to the reports coming from the field and computer lab activities, including an exam in the computer lab.

1) Teaching Methodology and formation activities

(Teaching will be face-to-face to the extent that the socio-sanitary situation allows)

In the case that the face.to-face teaching modality is not possible, teaching activities to the large group (theoretical classes, 30 sessions of 1 h) will be 100% online through video-conference, unless the size of the group is within the permitted classroom capacity or due to changes in socio-sanitary circumstances that allow for an increase in attendance to classrooms.

Small group teaching activities, including Seminars in the computer classroom (4 sessions of 2 hours) and in the teaching classroom (1 session, 2 hours), as well as Practical sessions in the computer room (5 sessions of 2 hours), will take place 100% face-to-face, to the extent that the capacity of the assigned classrooms allow it. A field trip (6h) will carried out, according to the capacity that allows transport by bus (dividing vehicles where appropriate) and with the established protection and distance measures (use of masks, etc.). There are no laboratory practical activities scheduled for this subject.

The individualized and / or group tutorials will be held via email or videoconference.

2) Evaluation

(Teaching will be face-to-face to the extent that the socio-sanitary situation allows)

All the evaluation instruments will maintain their relative weights on the final score obtained by each student, and will be applied online: (i) delivery through the Virtual Teaching Platform of the personal work tasks proposed in the Seminars (10% of weight over the final grade), (ii) online theory exam (60%), and (iii) online computer classroom practice exam (25%). In the case of registration of attendance and participation in small group activities (5% of weight in the final grade), this will be done with online tools or in person, depending on the circunstances, during the corresponding pace-to-face or online activities.

3) Resources

The necessary resources offered by the University of Jaén will be used (https://www.ujaen.es/hererramientas-para-la-docencia-y-la-evaluacion-virtual) to carry out teaching and evaluation in the stage modality mixed.

"En  este escenario, todas las actividades docentes -evaluación incluida- serán no presenciales "

In the case of a 100% non-face-to-face scenario, the procedure will be as indicated for the mixed / multimodal scenario, but with the following differences:

- The small group activities (seminars and practices in the computer classroom) will be carried out online by videoconference and using virtual software resources, so that the acquisition of minimum skills is completed also through the provision of multimedia material (own-production and/or available in the Web).

- The Field Trip will be cancelled, and will be replaced by a cideoconference Seminar where the sampling methods and natural resources of the place chosen as the site for the field trip will be exposed to the students.

- As the evaluation system, the one specified for the mixed scenario will be maintained, since also in the mixed scenario all the evaluation instruments will be applied online.

Resources

The necessary resources offered by the University of Jaén will be used (https://www.ujaen.es/her Herramientas-para-la-docencia-yla-evaluacion-virtual) to carry out teaching and evaluation in the non face-to-face teaching modality. Electronic bibliographic resources from the University of Jaén Library (https://www.ujaen.es/servicios/biblio/) will also be used.

Institution in charge of data processing: Universidad de Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas, s/n, 23071 Jaén

Data Protection Delegate: dpo@ujaen.es

Purpose: In accordance with the Universities Law and other national and regional regulations in force, carrying out exams and assessment tests corresponding to the courses students are registered in. In order to avoid frauds while sitting the exam, the exam will be answered using a videoconference system, being able the academic staff of the University of Jaén to compare and contrast the image of the person who is answering the exam with the student's photographic files. Likewise, in order to provide the exam with evidential content for revisions or claims, in accordance with current regulation frameworks, the exam will be recorded and stored.

Legitimacy: compliance with legal obligations (Universities Law) and other national and regional regulations currently in force.

Addressees: service providers who are the owners of the platforms where the exams are carried out and with whom the University of Jaén has signed the corresponding data access contracts.

Storage periods: those established in current in force regulations. In the specific case of exam videoconference recordings, not before the examination records and transcripts are closed or the exam can still be reviewed or challenged.

Rights: you can exercise your right of access, amendment, cancellation, opposition, suppression, limitation and portability by sending a letter to the postal or electronic address indicated above. In the event that you consider that your rights have been violated, you may submit a complaint to the Andalusian Council for Transparency and Data Protection www.ctpdandalucia.es

Person in charge: Universidad de Jaén, Paraje Las Lagunillas, s/n; Tel.953 212121; www.ujaen.es

Data protection delegate (DPO): TELEFÓNICA, S.A.U. ; Email: dpo@ujaen.es

Procedure aim: To manage proper recordings of teaching sessions with the aim of facilitating learning process under a multimodal and/or online teaching

Period for record storage: Images will be kept during legal term according to regulations in force

Legitimacy: Data will be managed according to legal regulations (Organic Law 6/2001, December 21, on Universities) and given consent provided by selecting corresponding box in legal admission documents

Data recipients (transfers or assignments): Any person allowed to get access to every teaching modality

Rights: You may exercise your rights of access, rectification, cancellation, portability, limitation of processing, deletion or, where appropriate, opposition. To exercise these rights, you must submit a written request to the Information, Registration and Electronic Administration Service of the University of Jaen at the address above, or by e-mail to the address above. You must specify which of these rights you are requesting to be satisfied and, at the same time, you must attach a photocopy of your ID card or equivalent identification document. In case you act through a representative, legal or voluntary, you must also provide a document that proves this representation and identification. Likewise, if you consider that your right to personal data protection has been violated, you may file a complaint with the Andalusian Data Protection and Transparency Council www.ctpdandalucia.es