2025
Ecology of Agricultural Systems
Name: Ecology of Agricultural Systems
Code: PAO11394L
3 ECTS
Duration: 15 weeks/78 hours
Scientific Area:
Environment and Ecology Sciences
Teaching languages: Portuguese
Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese, English
Regime de Frequência: Presencial
Sustainable Development Goals
Learning Goals
1. To show the dual nature of agricultural systems, describing these systems using both a process-functional approach - energy flow and material cycling - and a population-community approach ? biological diversity across hierarchical levels of organization.
2. To identify negative externalities and environmental impacts related to different agricultural systems.
3. To provide fundamentals of ecology upon which the agricultural systems should stand, encouraging the students to propose measures and actions compatible with the wise use of agro resources, which is the main goal of this curricular unit.
2. To identify negative externalities and environmental impacts related to different agricultural systems.
3. To provide fundamentals of ecology upon which the agricultural systems should stand, encouraging the students to propose measures and actions compatible with the wise use of agro resources, which is the main goal of this curricular unit.
Contents
1. Natural systems (ecosystems) as paradigms of any productive process: matter, energy and information as production factors; energy dissipation, products and residues in ecosystems.
2. The second great human impact on biosphere: the invention of agriculture. Characterizing different agricultural productive process, namely in what concerns: energy flow, matter cycling and biodiversity across hierarchical levels of organization - within species, alpha, beta and gamma.
3. Ecosystems attributes versus agricultural systems attributes: complexity/simplicity; diversity/monotony; homeostasis and resilience/regulation by man. Negative externalities and environmental impacts of different agricultural productive processes: greenhouse warming, degradation of habitats and deserts spreading. The implications of agricultural systems on biotopes naturalness and sensitivity.
4. A false dilemma - to produce or to conserve: ways of overcome this apparent problem; examples.
2. The second great human impact on biosphere: the invention of agriculture. Characterizing different agricultural productive process, namely in what concerns: energy flow, matter cycling and biodiversity across hierarchical levels of organization - within species, alpha, beta and gamma.
3. Ecosystems attributes versus agricultural systems attributes: complexity/simplicity; diversity/monotony; homeostasis and resilience/regulation by man. Negative externalities and environmental impacts of different agricultural productive processes: greenhouse warming, degradation of habitats and deserts spreading. The implications of agricultural systems on biotopes naturalness and sensitivity.
4. A false dilemma - to produce or to conserve: ways of overcome this apparent problem; examples.
Teaching Methods
Theoretically-driven lectures will be used to expose principles and concepts. With a view to acquiring technical skills, case studies will be analyzed and discussed in practical and laboratory sessions. The execution of a practical assignment applying the acquired knowledge will allow students to consolidate concepts and apply them to the reconciliation of production and conservation objectives.
Assessment
The continuous assessment scheme comprises the following two components, with their respective weights in the final grade calculation indicated: written examination 60%; oral presentation and discussion of a knowledge application assignment ? 15%; written version of the assignment ? 25%. In the final assessment scheme, the course unit grade is defined by the result of a single written examination, with 9.5 being the minimum passing grade."
Teaching Staff
- António Pedro de Avelar Gonçalves Santos [responsible]
Certificações
