2024
Soil Biology
Name: Soil Biology
Code: BIO12361L
6 ECTS
Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours
Scientific Area:
Biological Sciences
Teaching languages: Portuguese
Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese
Presentation
In this curricular unit, the soil is studied as physical support and habitat for a great diversity of living beings (microbes, plants and animals), due to its multi-scale characteristics, emphasizing the absolute need for its preservation.
Sustainable Development Goals
Learning Goals
O1- Provide knowledge and develop skills on soil ecology and biology with special emphasis on multi-scale features of the soil and in the absolute need of its preservation.
O2 - Provide, develop and perfect knowledge and generic skills of individual and team work, namely in mastering, synthesising and conveying knowledge, ability to non-personalised criticism of peers, ability to non-personalised criticism by peers, time and effort optimization in planning, raising and analysing data, synthesis, understanding and making results available, fulfilment of schedule restraints.
O3 - Provide, stimulate, develop the ability to search and find relevant information, namely in reading and writing in English, and the strict adherence to guidelines for scientific communication.
O2 - Provide, develop and perfect knowledge and generic skills of individual and team work, namely in mastering, synthesising and conveying knowledge, ability to non-personalised criticism of peers, ability to non-personalised criticism by peers, time and effort optimization in planning, raising and analysing data, synthesis, understanding and making results available, fulfilment of schedule restraints.
O3 - Provide, stimulate, develop the ability to search and find relevant information, namely in reading and writing in English, and the strict adherence to guidelines for scientific communication.
Contents
T0 Soil as a support and environment for biological activities. Diversity of living organisms in soil, adaptations to restrictions impinged by three-dimensional and multi-scale environments (namely available volume, light availability and light quality) and role of biological entities in creation, change and structure of soil.
Theoretical
T1 Introduction to soil science.
T2 Soil biodiversity and major taxonomic groups (e.g., bacteria, fungi, protozoa, arthropod, nematodes and plants).
T3 Relationships among morphology, size, biological activity and soil porosity.
T4 The biological interactions that develop in the soil, with emphasis on the various types of symbiosis that can be established and their effect on plant growth.
T5 Roots and soil seed banks.
T6 The consequences of soil disturbance and conservation strategies.
Experimental
P1 Methods in Soil Science studies.
P2 Planningand execution of experiments supervised by teachers
Theoretical
T1 Introduction to soil science.
T2 Soil biodiversity and major taxonomic groups (e.g., bacteria, fungi, protozoa, arthropod, nematodes and plants).
T3 Relationships among morphology, size, biological activity and soil porosity.
T4 The biological interactions that develop in the soil, with emphasis on the various types of symbiosis that can be established and their effect on plant growth.
T5 Roots and soil seed banks.
T6 The consequences of soil disturbance and conservation strategies.
Experimental
P1 Methods in Soil Science studies.
P2 Planningand execution of experiments supervised by teachers
Teaching Methods
Structured lectures aimed at defining concepts, presenting the state of art and raising questions worth being investigated. Lectures by experts in different areas of Soil Biology.
Experimental design of the work to be carried out in the practical component, data gathering and analyses under the guidance of a supervisor.
Presentation and discussion of scientific papers .
Continuous evaluation
Theoretical component (T): 60% - 2 Tests
Theoretical - practical component (TP): 20% Practical work + poster; 10% Lectures summary; 10% paper presentation and discussion
In the TP component the practical work is performed in groups of 3 students.
Final evaluation - Written exam
Experimental design of the work to be carried out in the practical component, data gathering and analyses under the guidance of a supervisor.
Presentation and discussion of scientific papers .
Continuous evaluation
Theoretical component (T): 60% - 2 Tests
Theoretical - practical component (TP): 20% Practical work + poster; 10% Lectures summary; 10% paper presentation and discussion
In the TP component the practical work is performed in groups of 3 students.
Final evaluation - Written exam
Teaching Staff (2023/2024 )
