Sciences and Teaching of Natural Systems

• Biodiversity Theory: Course introduction and summary. History of the term. Origin of biodiversity: brief history of life. Drivers of biodiversity: speciation and extinction (evolution). Levels of biodiversity organisation (genes, species, ecosystems). Scales of analysis (α-β-γ diversity). Typologies (taxonomic, functional, phylogenetic, structural diversity). Geographical distribution patterns of biodiversity: biogeographical theory of islands, latitudinal gradient, altitudinal gradient, biodiversity hot-spots. Hypotheses explaining these patterns: ecological hypothesis (climate-species richness); null models (geometric constraints and mid-domain effect); historical hypothesis (tropical niche conservatism; mass extinctions); evolutionary hypothesis (variation of diversification rate (speciation-extinction) with latitude). Methods for data collection and analysis. Exercises: Case studies in international literature, analysis of national and international projects, data collection in micro-plots of vegetation assigned to each student, data analysis using QGIS and R software. • Agrobiodiversity Theory: Development of the concept and its interpretations. Main components. Distribution patterns: development of agriculture, centres of diversity, domestication processes, movement of cultivars around the world. In Italy: distribution of cultivated plant progenitors, ecological characteristics, domestication. Intensive agriculture, Agroecology, Food sovereignty, "clean" food. Seminars by ARSIAL experts: international, national and regional legislation, development programmes for sustainable agriculture and conservation of traditional cultivars. Data collection and analysis methodologies. Exercises: Case studies in international literature, analysis of national and international projects, methods of analysis using data provided as part of the course and/or downloaded from open-access databases. Visit to ARSIAL farms that conserve ancient cultivars at risk of genetic erosion. • Vegetation, landscape and agro-ecosystems Theory: Do plant communities exist? Analysis of the Clements-Gleason debate and its development; outlines of community ecology. Phytosociology: Theoretical background, methods of sampling (phytosociological survey) and analysis (multivariate analysis techniques for classification, sorting and identification of characteristic species of plant communities). The rural landscape in the scientific debate and environmental policies. Agroecosystems: abiotic components (climate, soil, disturbances), biotic components pathogens, parasites, soil organisms, pollinators, natural biodiversity). Elements of agroecology. ICEA expert seminar on organic farming. Expert seminar on phytosociological survey and analysis. Data collection and analysis methodologies. Exercises: Case studies in international literature, analysis of national and international projects, phytosociological field surveys (field training activities), analysis of data collected in the field using R, Juice, Turboveg, Qgis softwares. • Biodiversity conservation and agrobiodiversity Theory: Main threats: the sixth mass extinction and the Anthropocene (land degradation, climate change, "alien" species, fragmentation), intensive agriculture and livestock farming. Biodiversity conservation strategies in national and international directives for its conservation (CBD, Habitats Directive.....). Seminar of experts from the Lazio Region on regional and national nature conservation legislation and programmes. Failure of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2010-2020: are we still in time? Data collection and analysis methodologies. Exercises: Case studies in international literature, analysis of national and international projects.

Acquisition of theoretical and technical tools for the analysis of biodiversity in natural systems and agro-ecosystems, as well as for its conservation

• Kent 2012. “Vegetation Description and analysis”. Wiley Blackwell, Second Edition. Cap. 2 “Environmental gradients, plant communities and vegetation dynamics”; Cap. 7 “Phytosociology and the Zurich-Montpellier (Braun-Blanquet) school of subjective classification” • Kolbert, 2014. The sixth extinction: An unnatural history. A&C Black. • Lomolino, Riddle, Whittaker, 2016. Biogeography. Fifth Edition pag. 556-519 • Magurran, 2011. Measuring biological diversity. John Wiley & Sons, 2013. Cap. 2, 6, 13, 14. • Miitelbach, McGill, 2012. Community ecology. Oxford University Press, Second Edition. Cap. 2 “Patterns of Biological Diversity”, Cap. 3 “Biodiversity and Ecosystem functioning”, Cap. 12 “Community assembly and species traits” • Schulze, Beck, Buchmann, Clemens, Müller-Hohenstein, Scherer-Lorenzen 2019. Plant Ecology. Springer, Second Edition, Cap. 20: “Biodiversity” e le pagine 674-684; 696-714; 744-827 • Thompson 2020. Plant Evolution in the Mediterranean: Insights for Conservation. Oxford University Press, Cap. 1 “A Mediterranean history”, Cap. 4 “The evolution of a cultural heritage” Letture consigliate: • Kolbert, 2014. The sixth extinction: An unnatural history. A&C Black. • Thomas, C. D., 2017. Inheritors of the Earth: how nature is thriving in an age of extinction. Hachette UK. • George Monbiot, 2022. Regenesis: feeding the world without devouring the planet. Penguin UK.

The evaluation will be based on the ability to: • Illustrate the basic concepts related to biodiversity, community ecology, landscape ecology, and agrobiodiversity • Practical test on the use of QGIS and R software • Project proposals for the analysis and conservation of biodiversity and agrobiodiversity