| Responsible Department | Forest & Landscape | ||||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | MSc. 1 year to MSc. 2 year | ||||||||||||||||
| Duration | One block | ||||||||||||||||
| Credits | 7.5 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||||
| Level of Course | MSc | ||||||||||||||||
| Examination | Continuous Assessment written examination Portfolio Examination All aids allowed Description of Examination: The examination is based on weekly deliverables. 4 of 5 cases must be delivered, and one workshop essay of two must be delivered. Report on field work may substitute one case. Weight: 100% 7-point scale, internal examiner | ||||||||||||||||
| Requirement for Attending Exam | A min. of 75 % of the excersizes have to be completed/submitted | ||||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | 40 % lectures 50 % excercises 10 % field work | ||||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 1 Week Structure: B | ||||||||||||||||
| Language of Instruction | English | ||||||||||||||||
| Restrictions | None | ||||||||||||||||
| Course Content | |||||||||||||||||
| Landscape attributes; geology, terrain, hydrology, land cover and the technosphere. Landscape patterns and structures; Types of configuration of ecostopes and elements on the earth surface. Aggregation of ecotopes in chores. Landscape function; Fluxes of energy, matter and genes. Isolation and contact, the concept of systems. Multifunctional landscapes; Ecological function, land use related functions and services, transcending functions - designated and perceived landscapes. Structure-function interrelationships; interrelationships between structure and function, species movement in landscapes, island biogeography, landscape model: patch-corridor-matrix. Landscape dynamics and change; Causes behind changes, stability, resistance and resilience. | |||||||||||||||||
| Teaching and learning Methods | |||||||||||||||||
| The course is given as a combination of introducing lectures, excercises, field work, and in-depth lectures. The excercises are performed in small groups under supervision from the course responsible. | |||||||||||||||||
| Learning Outcome | |||||||||||||||||
| Landscape Ecology deals with casuses and consequences of landscape variation. The course provides important input to the management of the countryside and landscapes. Dispersal and distribution of plants and animals, regulation of pollutants from farms and cities, are examples of the subjects dealt with in landscape ecology. Knowledge After the course the participants will - know the main stream European and American schools of Landscape Ecology. - know general theories, - know and have been trained in some of the most common pratical methods in landscape ecology. Skills After the course the participants must: - comprehend the landscape as a composition of landscape attributes. - understand landscape patterns - i.e origin of landscapes, - understand impact of man on the development of landscapes, - understand the impact of natural conditions on the landscape. Competences The participants must be able to: - synthesise attributes into unique ecotopes, aggregate ecotopes into chores, and segregate landscapes into chores and ecotopes. - transfer the models Island - bio - geography and input-output to concrete landscapes. - comprehend landscape change, detect and describe changes in landscape patterns. Relate landscape changes to specific attributes. - comprehend the concepts of landscape function and multifunctionality; land use related functions, landscape services and transcending functions. - omprehend the linking of structures with fluxes of matter, energy and genetic information. | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Literature | |||||||||||||||||
| Reader in Landscape Ecology, a compilation of texts. Avaliable in the KVL bookshop | |||||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||||
| Henrik Vejre, hv@life.ku.dk, Forest & Landscape Denmark/Urban and landscape studies, Phone: 353-31819 | |||||||||||||||||
| Study Board | |||||||||||||||||
| Study Committee NSN | |||||||||||||||||
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